A consultant surgeon, Rebecca Dunlop, has warned racegoers at Cartmel that they shouldn’t wrap dog-leashes around their fingers for fear that they could incur serious hand injuries.

Thousands of people could be at risk from lacerations, friction burns, fractures and ligament injuries. Assuming of course, they own a dog.

Or perhaps she was warning all dog-owners, not just the ones at Cartmel, because when I looked further into the story, it materialised that Dunlop wields her scalpel in the hospitals of Cornwall.

But in any case, the advice is relevant because the most frequently asked question at Cartmel during the approach to Whit Holiday Weekend is: Can I bring my dog? And the answer is: Yes… as long as you keep it on a leash.

But with so many picnics being consumed on the racecourse, those leashes are constantly strained. The simple turning of a sausage on the BBQ can cause a major incident, with dogs leaping wildly in unexpected directions.

So to avoid dislocating your fingers, the advice is to grip your dog-lead firmly, but don’t wrap it around your fingers. And if you have one of those extendable dog-leads, don’t allow it to get too long as it’ll simply wrap around the legs of other racegoers, which will create carnage.

Following the question about dogs, the next most frequently asked is: What’s the dress code? Which is topical because the English Bowling Federation has just announced that it is going to allow players to wear white shorts for the first time, instead long trousers.

So if the EBF can change their dress code after roughly 2,000 years of action on Britain’s finest lawns, then surely anything goes. Or almost anything, because apparently the relaxation of the rules applies only to men and not to women.

Racecourses tend not to be quite so strict. If you’re dining in any of the restaurants or hospitality areas then you’ll fit in best if you’re smartly dressed.

But most important of all, dress appropriately for the conditions. If it looks like rain, take a coat and some sensible flat shoes or boots. If it’s sunny, take some sunglasses and a hat.

And if you’re coming to Kelso on Sunday or Cartmel on Wednesday evening, remember that it’s Ladies Day – which means dressing up in a different manner again (while not forgetting the bit about being mindful of the ground conditions, because there’s nothing sadder than watching racegoers getting stuck in their high-heels, men or women).

The final question that everyone asks is: Can you give me a winner? To which the answer is: Naturally.

Look no further than Morning Royalty, the James Moffatt-trained course specialist at Cartmel this afternoon. Double up with Cultram Abbey, the Kelso specialist, running at the Borders track on Sunday. Let yourself off the leash, take a spare pair of shoes and fill your boots.