Musselburgh racecourse is located in the East Lothian council area of Scotland, six miles from the capital Edinburgh. It is a dual-race type track widely acclaimed for its stylish nature, and has races televised on Racing UK. It sits on Common good land, and is run by the Musselburgh Joint Racing Committee (MJRC), a partnership between the East Lothian Council and the Lothians Racing Syndicate.
History
Racing began in 1777 at the Musselburgh, and continued until 1789 when most competitions were moved to Leith. The races made a permanent return to Musselburgh in 1816.
It was under the Lothians Racing Syndicate for the years after World War II, but was adversely affected by betting legislation and continued posting losses late into the 1980s. The local council took over its running in 1991, and brought it back to profit making within a year before establishing a new partnership with the syndicate.
The course underwent a £7.5 million upgrade in 1995, improving both viewing areas and the racing track.
The course
The course is pretty flat, with tracks for both flat and national hunt competitions. It has gentle turns in the starting sections and much more challenging bends towards the end. There are 12 obstacles in the jump circuit.
Within it lies a nine-hole golf course. The course is notable for elegance, be it in service, signposting or equipment design.
Musselburgh is accessible through a road bridge over the Esk, but this is only open on race days.
It has held the honour of 5-star Visitor attraction from Scotland’s national tourism organisation visit Scotland since 2006. In 2011, Musselburgh beat Ascot to win the Dual Purpose Award in the Neil Wyatt Racecourse Groundstaff Awards.
Races
The William Hill Scottish Sprint Cup and the Royal Mile Handicap are the two most notable races run within the track. The Edinburgh Cup, Caledonian Cup Raceday, Stobo Castle Ladies and Easter Saturday are also part on Musselburgh’s calendar, which totals roughly 28 fixtures within the year.