TWITTER: @MusselburghRace

SKY BET SUNDAY SERIES DATE: Sunday 5th June 2022

LOCATION: Linkfield Road, Musselburgh, East Lothian, EH21 7RG

The first races in Musselburgh took place in 1777 under the auspices of the Royal Caledonian Hunt, with racing held on the sands at nearby Leith between 1789 and 1816. After an intervention from the town council, racing returned to the current site on Linkfield Road in 1816. With the racecourse struggling financially during the late 1980’s/early 1990’s, and with both nearby Bogside and Lanark having already closed, East Lothian Council took over the responsibility for the running of the racecourse.

Times have been brighter since with facilities vastly improved. The plush Queen’s Stand was built in 1995, and an all-weather bend was introduced to the jumps course in 2012 to offer greater protection to a well-used area of the racing surface. Since 2021, the racecourse has been operated and managed by the Chester Race Company. With a prime location close to Edinburgh – the racecourse once raced under this name – Musselburgh draws in sizeable crowds for its most popular fixtures which include the Edinburgh Cup, Royal Mile, Scottish Sprint Cup, and the Queen’s Cup.

Musselburgh is a right-handed track, which measures approximately 1m2f in circumference. Sharp bends are a key feature, with the home bend reshaped and nicely cambered for Flat racing.

From the final bend it is a four-furlong straight to the winning post. The five-furlong sprint (and the two mile) starts are down a chute in the general direction of the A1 motorway.

Close to the coast, the racecourse is well known for being a quick drying racing surface, and as a result the conditions are rarely testing.

Keith Dalgleish enjoyed a fine season at Musselburgh in 2021, saddling a total of 15 winners from 86 runners (17%; +£8.74). Both Gometra Ginty and Clay Regazzoni were stable flagbearers. The latter edged out stablemate Caballero in the final race of Musselburgh’s Flat season to hand Middleham Park Racing the top owner honours at the track.

The popular Jim Goldie (pictured) (9-54; 17%), and the Carrutherstown handler Iain Jardine (9-56; 16%; +£18.83) saddled ample winners, while Northallerton-based Grant Tuer operated at a 40% strike rate (6-15). Dalgleish is also the top Flat trainer at Musselburgh over the last five years (46-349; 13%) comfortably ahead of Richard Fahey (33-165; 20%) and Iain Jardine (30-196; 15%).

“Musselburgh is a sharp track where it can suit you to be on the pace. Having said that sometimes they go too hard and because of that the race collapses, so it just depends on the race on the day. It is sharp and you can rock from the front, but if you go off too quickly, the race can change quickly inside the final couple of furlongs. Jockeyship matters.”

With Keith Dalgleish being leading trainer, it is no real surprise that Callum Rodriguez (11-49; 22%; +£11.51) was leading rider at Musselburgh in 2021. Scottish born pair Sam James (10-39; 26%; +£17.41) and Andrew Mullen (10-62; 16%; +£16.33) also enjoyed plenty of success. James struck up a solid rapport with Grant Tuer’s Sky Bet Sunday Series race winner Lion Tower.

Joe Fanning (33-175; 19%) is top jockey at Musselburgh over the last five years, 12 ahead of Daniel Tudhope (21-87; 24%) and Jason Hart (21-143; 15%).

“Musselburgh is a very sharp, right-handed track where it usually pays to be on the front end, especially if you can get a soft uncontested lead. However, at the same time, it is a lot longer home straight than most people think, and a race can often change quickly inside the final furlong. The bends (especially the camber) ride very well, but with the long home straight you do need to make sure that you get your fractions right.”

Those who appreciate racing close to the pace tend to thrive around Musselburgh, and it is a track where specialists can run up a sequence of wins, often continually defying the attentions of the handicapper. Gometra Ginty (5-15; 33% over the last five years, including 3-5 in 2021) and Primo’s Comet (5-16; 31% over the last five years, including 3-8 in 2021) being prime examples.

The previously mentioned Clay Regazzoni (3-6; 50%) enjoyed a stellar season in 2021, and looking further back over time, the Iain Jardine-trained/Gerry McGladery-owned Smart Lass (5-7; 71%) has also become a Musselburgh standing dish.

Musselburgh was the venue for the opening day (25th July) of the inaugural Sky Bet Sunday Series. Keith Dalgleish saddled the first winner, with Edward Cornelius scoring in the 5f juvenile newcomers’ maiden. However, fellow Scot Jim Goldie was not to be outdone with the admirable Tommy G (watch above) striking in the very next race.

Phillip Makin’s Mytilda was a shock winner (25-1) for Hawick born rider Rowan Scott, while the Northallerton trainer Grant Tuer clearly had his string well prepared with Lion Tower justifying favouritism in the 7f handicap after earlier second place finishes for Six Strings and Gunnerside. The riding honours on the afternoon went to the bang-in-form Ben Curtis who struck aboard Rising Star (Marco Botti) and Glasses Up (R Mike Smith).