Vincent Hinde Collection

Musselburgh Racecourse

Primary records indicate that some form of racing was staged in Edinburgh as early as 1504 during the reign of James IV of Scotland, most notably on Leith sands, as evidenced by a record stating 'a boy (jockey) that ran the King's horse' at Leith. A century and a half later racing was taking place at Leith every Saturday in 1661, while almost three centuries after that first meeting the Royal Caledonian Hunt Club, who had organised meetings at Hamilton and Kelso, sponsored a meeting at Edinburgh. Just two years afterwards an extended five-day meeting in July attracted a crowd in excess of 100,000. The final meeting on Leith sands was held in 1815, and a year later the first six-day meeting took place on the current racecourse on Monday 7th October 1816. The card opened with His Majesty's 100 Guineas Plate, which was won by the Marquis of Queensberry's Epperstone. A second His Majesty's Plate was held on Thursday when King David prevailed for Lord Queensberry. Racing ceased during each of the two World Wars, with Alec McHarg taking charge after the War in 1946, but in 1963 the threat of closure loomed when the Levy Board considered axing it as part of its programme of reforms. Fortunately, the Earl of Rosebery fronted a campaign group and the course was saved. The course introduced jump racing on Thursday 5th January 1967, but by 1974, after the Earl of Rosebery had died, the course was denied Levy Board backing again and it was left to the Lothians Racing Syndicate to provide the necessary financial support to refurbish the grandstand and save the course. Currently the course hosts 27 fixtures annually.