Earliest Meeting: May 1670
Final Meeting: Tuesday 12th May 1818
The small Cumbrian village of Drigg, on the River Irt, is located in the Lake District National Park on the coast of the Irish Sea. It is one of the larger settlements in the parish of Drigg and Carleton, along with Stubble Green and Holmrook, and boasts a population of less than 450. However, in the latter part of the 17th century the village organised races which were staged on the sands in May 1670. The races were the brainchild of Sir William Pennington and became an annual meeting each May, attracting large crowds from Drigg and the many small surrounding villages.

Meetings were still being staged in the early years of the 19th century. On Friday 11th June 1813 a £50 Purse of Gold took place, overseen by the Stewards John Clements and Henry Kitchen, while on Tuesday 4th June 1816 a further meeting was organised on the old course on Drigg Marshes. The final record of a meeting was on Tuesday 12th May 1818 when a 3-race card consisted of a £50 Match, an £8 Purse open to all, and a Saddle and Bridle race for ponies.

Much of the information about this course has been found using internet research and is in the public domain. However, useful research sources have been:-

London Illustrated News

Racing Illustrated 1895-1899

The Sporting & Dramatic Illustrated

Northern Turf History Volumes 1-4 by J.Fairfax-Blakeborough

The Sporting Magazine

A Long Time Gone by Chris Pitt first published in 1996 ISBN 0 900599 89 8

Racing Calendars which were first published in 1727

ISBN 978-0-9957632-0-3

652 pages

774 former courses

ISBN 978-0-9957632-1-0

352 pages

400 former courses

ISBN 978-0-9957632-2-7

180 pages

140 former courses

ISBN 978-0-9957632-3-4

264 pages

235 former courses