Next week, the beautiful Musselburgh Racecourse welcomes Scottish Festival Trials Weekend from 4-5 February. The fixture on the east coast of Scotland is known as the biggest Cheltenham Trials Weekend in the UK, making this is the place to see not only Cheltenham Festival contenders but also Grand National hopefuls. General admission is just GBP £20, and you can enjoy a fish & chip package or a burger & beer package for £37 each, or indulge in a champagne & seafood platter for £61!
Other Musselburgh highlights include Easter Saturday featuring The Queen’s Cup (8 April) and the Sky Bet Sunday Series Raceday (30 April), before some classy summer racedays like Stobo Castle Ladies Day (11 August) which has general admission at £45 as well as picnic pavilion packages and restaurant hospitality on offer.
Musselburgh takes part in racing’s Go North Weekend which highlights the importance and excitement of racing in the north of Britain. As well as Musselburgh’s fixture on 24 March, there are racedays at Kelso on 25 March and Carlisle on 26 March.
Kelso Racecourse also hosts several major racedays across the year including Buccleuch Cup Day (17 April) which features a Hunter Chase race that brings together the local Point-to-Point community, perfect for those looking to see racing in its purest form. General admission is just £16! One of Kelso’s biggest racedays is the Scottish Borders National which takes place in December each year. The day is ideal for racegoers of all levels of interest, and the course’s family-friendly atmosphere makes it an excellent day out.
Speaking of Nationals, the Scottish Grand National takes place from 21-22 April at Ayr Racecourse. This 2-day jump racing festival consists of Ladies Day – where racegoers of all genders are welcome and encouraged to dress to impress – and Scottish Grand National Day where the fixture’s feature race is run; Scotland’s equivalent of the Grand National.
Ayr hosts a number of summer racedays including Glasgow Fair Raceday (17 July), held on a city-specific bank holiday for Glasgow. Historically, residents would leave the city and travel to the Firth of Clyde or Ayrshire coast known as going "doon the watter" ("down the water"). Today, crowds still flock to the coast and to Ayr Racecourse! All this before we even get to the prestigious Ayr Gold Cup Festival (21-23 September) which dates back to 1804 when it was restricted to horses bred and trained in Scotland. Now that it is open to the finest thoroughbreds in the world, who will “tak the cup”?!
For those looking for some fun in the Scottish sun – yes, it does exist! – Hamilton Park Racecourse is the place to be with flat racing fixtures from Opening Family Raceday (7 May) to September Weekend Family Raceday (25 September). Hamilton Park’s Ladies’ Night (5 August) is one of the course’s biggest meetings of the summer as it is the ideal opportunity for racegoers to get their glad rags on with entry for as little as £25.
You can discover Scottish racing fixtures here to experience the thrill as “the trembling earth resounds [their] tread”!