HOW about a stable visit in the morning and Sunday racing at Carlisle after lunch?

Well, as part of the exciting Racing Post ‘Go North’ weekend, three of our local trainers Nicky Richards, Iain Jardine and James Ewart will be opening their doors to racing fans on Sunday, March 22.

It is Mother’s Day too so it might make a nice pressie for mum with a special visit to Carlisle Racecourse on her big day.

This is an exciting new idea by the British Horseracing Association and the sponsors Racing Post to celebrate, promote and support jump racing in the region and we are thrilled to be involved.

It is a fantastic opportunity, so why not take advantage of it, and get yourself along to grab your ‘behind closed doors’ look into what goes on at a racing stable.

Three days of jumps racing will feature all seven finals of the Northern Lights series.

They take place at Musselburgh on Friday March 20, Kelso on Saturday March 21, and culminate here at Carlisle on Sunday March 22.

And with £400,000 in prize money up for grabs it promises to be a very exciting weekend!

There will be seven races on the card at Carlisle, and the first race will begin at 2.10pm.

There will also be a nice prize for the top trainer/jockey/owner of the three fixtures to be presented at Carlisle.

Those running in the Northern Lights Series are mid-tier horses and this provides meaningful targets and great prize money for them.

They are very good in the specific grade of racing they compete in and, of course, they are much loved by their owners and syndicates.

Crucially, they also provide the bread and butter for Carlisle’s fixtures over the winter and we always love to see them race here.

A stable visit is a wonderful opportunity, offering a rare look behind the scenes at where the horses live, work and how the dedicated staff prepare them for racing.

Horses all have their own characters, each with very different personalities.

There’s a very clever horse indeed at James Ewart’s stable, Bingo D’Olivate, and when you feed him a polo, he slaps his tongue on the stable door.

It is hilarious to watch, and he is adored by the staff at the Ewart yard near Langholm.

It is great to be back racing again at Carlisle, and we stage our second fixture of the New Year - Winter Warmer - on Monday February 17.

Gates open at 11.45 am and the first race is at 1.45pm.

Go North Weekend: A ticket covering all three days of the Racing Go North weekend costs £40, with tickets also available for the individual fixtures at Musselburgh, Kelso and Carlisle.

A ticket for that day’s racing will be required for access to the stable visits in the morning.