Cartmel racecourse's facilities are among the bottom five in the country, according to this year’s rankings from the National Association of Racing Staff (NARS).
Cartmel came fourth bottom in the rankings with a score of 100.7 out of 140 with only Catterick, Redcar and Musselburgh having a lower score.
NARS inspectors rate each course based on four criteria: overnight accommodation, day facilities, canteen and stable yard.
Those four criteria are split into sub-sections with each of them given a rating out of 10 which go towards the overall total.
The South Cumbria venue fared well for overnight accommodation with 10’s across the board, but its score was heavily impacted by its day facilities and canteen.
In response to the low ranking, a representative from the racecourse wanted to clarify that the low rating is partly down to relying on temporary facilities due to the course’s limited number of meetings.
They said: “Cartmel only stages nine days of racing each year and, as a result, relies on some temporary facilities to support racing staff on those occasions.
“Our stable teams are highly valued by us, and within the context of our historic infrastructure we are continually investing to improve their experience, taking further steps again this year.
“Owners, trainers, jockeys and stable staff consistently tell us how much they value racing at Cartmel, and in 2025 our AA Customer Experience Assessment score reached its highest level in a decade.”
Racing will return to Cartmel for the 2026 season on May 23 with nine days of racing planned for the year including a music night with Kaiser Chiefs on June 26.
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