Cartmel
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Cartmel Crystal Cup Handicap Hurdle Race
Starts in
2h 34min
Turf track
All Runners — sorted by TrackLab Score
Good Value
TrackLab Insight
The market favourite at 5.7, and the form backs it up — he won at Hexham 27 days ago and was a photo-finish second at Market Rasen before that, making him the most visibly in-form runner in the race. He also has the best record on today's conditions of any horse in the field, winning two from five on normal ground. The concern is that he has never raced at Cartmel before, while several of his rivals know this quirky track inside out.
Best record on this ground (2 from 5)
Market favourite (5.7)
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TrackLab Insight
The horse who cannot stop finishing in the top three at Cartmel — three consecutive runner-up or better finishes here, including a win 22 days ago, make this the most in-form course specialist in the field. He also has the best record at this exact trip, having finished in the top three twice from three attempts at 2m 6f. The catch is that his overall win rate is modest at roughly 1 in 8, and he has never won on the sort of track layout Cartmel presents on paper.
Course specialist (3 wins from 7 here)
Best record at this trip (2 from 3)
3 straight top-3 finishes
Trainer Quotes
Feb 2024
"A nice bumper horse we've bought who goes very well and will run before the ground firms up. He won his only point and should be ready to run in mid-March. He's been steadily improving at home and his work has been really good. He's taken a bit of time but is very straightforward. He's improved steadily and I'll be surprised if he can't acquit himself really well in a bumper. We've had quite a few bumper winners in the last few years and his homework compares very favourably to all of those. I'd be very hopeful he's above average. 14-02-24"
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TrackLab Insight
Back-to-back wins at Aintree and Chepstow before a narrow second at Uttoxeter 35 days ago — that is a purple patch of form that deserves respect in any field. She wins roughly 1 in every 6 races overall but has hit a real vein recently, and her record on normal ground is the best of any horse in this field: three wins from ten attempts. Cartmel is a first visit, but the form says she belongs here.
Placed in 2 of last 3 races
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TrackLab Insight
She won at Cartmel 22 days ago, which is a big point in her favour on a track where course experience counts for a lot. What makes that win unusual is that it came after two very poor performances — eighth and sixth — so it is hard to know which version of this horse turns up today. She is also the lowest-rated runner in the field by some margin, carrying 12lbs less than the field average.
One of the more successful in the field (4 career wins)
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TrackLab Insight
The editorial selection, and there is a clear case for him: he shares the joint-best win rate in the field — winning roughly 1 in every 3.5 races — and has been kept busy, racing three times in the last 77 days. He is rated 2lbs below top-rated Tommie Beau but is considered the sharper, more progressive horse right now. The worry is a poor record on today's ground conditions, having failed to win in six attempts on similar surfaces.
Best career win rate in field (1 in 4)
Trainer Quotes
Nov 2025
"He wasn't quite right when we first got him in the spring and we had a setback with him in the autumn, but his form tells you he's not a bad horse. He's not ready to run yet, but he has a good record around Cheltenham and we can look at three-mile handicaps when the time comes. We think he prefers better ground. 18-11-25"
Nov 2022
"He won his only start in points at Borris House last March. He enjoyed a nice summer break and I gave him his rules debut in a bumper at Bangor last month when he ran a lovely race to be second of nine over 2m½f. We bumped into a very smart one on that occasion (Realisation) and had he not been there we would all be very excited as he would have been a nine-and-a-half-length winner. We will stick to bumpers this season as he is still only four and has lots of filling out to do and is not the biggest. This lovely young horse does everything we ask at home and he has a bright future judged on his pointing and bumper form. 21-11-22"
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TrackLab Insight
Three consecutive top-three finishes — including a win at Uttoxeter 20 days ago — means Oakley arrives in reasonable form, and his record on today's ground (two wins from eight on normal conditions) is respectable. He is rated at the field average, so carries no weight advantage, and has never raced at Cartmel before. Solid but not obviously well-placed to trouble the leaders.
3 straight top-3 finishes
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TrackLab Insight
This horse has not run for 196 days — the longest absence in the entire field — after pulling up in a top-level race at Sandown, which makes her a genuine unknown today. Her record on today's normal ground is also a red flag: zero wins from five attempts on similar conditions, compared to an impressive three wins from four on softer ground. She may need this run to find her feet again.
Absent 196 days (longest in field)
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TrackLab Insight
The undisputed Cartmel expert in this field — three wins from eight races here is a record no other runner comes close to matching. At 11 years old with 45 races and 12 wins behind him, he is the most battle-hardened horse in the race by some distance. He was runner-up here just 54 days ago, but today's normal ground is a concern: he has won only once in eight races on similar conditions.
Course specialist (3 wins from 8 here)
Most experienced (45 runs, field avg 24)
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TrackLab Insight
The top-rated horse in the race on official figures — narrowly ahead of Peaky Boy and Tommie Beau — and a horse whose CV includes a top-level win at Cheltenham in November 2023. He has not won in his last five races though, and has been pulled up once in that run, which will give punters pause. His record on soft or wet ground is also poor, though today's normal conditions are more to his liking.
One of the more successful in the field (6 career wins)
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TrackLab Insight
Three wins from seven races at Cartmel makes this horse one of only two genuine course specialists in the field alongside Tommie Beau, and his record here is actually the better percentage of the two. The problem is his most recent run here, just 20 days ago, produced a sixth-place finish beaten over 22 lengths — a sharp drop from the win and near-miss that preceded it. Carries the lowest weight in the field, which helps, but his form needs to bounce back.
Carries lowest weight in field
Course specialist (3 wins from 7 here)
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TrackLab Insight
The lowest-rated horse in the race, sitting 14lbs below the field average on official ratings — a significant gap at this level. His last two runs at Cartmel brought finishes of sixth and eighth, and the wider recent form offers little encouragement either. The data does not suggest he can bridge that gap today.
Lowest rated, 14lbs below average
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TrackLab Insight
Hard to make a case for this one based on the numbers: one win from 21 career races, and he fell at his last outing just 12 days ago in Ireland. He has raced predominantly on Irish tracks and his form in Britain is limited, with recent finishes of 8th and 4th before that fall. The data simply does not support optimism here.
Mid-range in the market (13.5)
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TrackLab Insight
At 13 years old, Dinons is the oldest horse in the race and is priced accordingly at 30.0 — a big outsider. He has finished third in two of his last three completed races, so he is not disgracing himself, but he has never won on today's ground conditions in seven attempts. At his age and price, this is a horse for admirers rather than punters.
Outsider at 30.0
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