Sky Bet Sunday Series Guide To The Tracks: Musselburgh

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

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

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

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

Musselburgh staged the opening Sky Bet Sunday Series fixture of the year on Sunday 21st April. 

Jim Goldie and Paul Mulrennan made the perfect start with American Affair a ready winner of the opener. The Washington DC gelding, going onto notch a second Sky Bet Sunday Series win at Thirsk, before failing in a bid to land a share of the £100,000 bonus when finding a rival stronger at Haydock and Pontefract. Fortunately, for his joint-owners Barraston Racing and Jim Goldie, he gained compensation in the Portland Handicap at Doncaster in mid-September. 

Goldie was soon at the double with Kelpie Grey (Saffie Osborne) in the 1m Handicap, a race in which he also saddled Shine On Brendan (sixth), Alpine Sierra (ninth), and B Associates (tenth). The North Yorkshire handler Karl Burke took two of the feature races, with Ice Max most impressive in the 1m 3yo Handicap, and Liamarty Dreams a game all-the-way winner of the 7f Class 3 Handicap 30-minutes later. 

Barrak (Kevin Ryan), Destinado (James Owen), and Equality (Charles Hills) were the other winners. 

Jim Goldie (11-70; 16%; +£7.35) saddled most Musselburgh winners last year. Among those to excel for the popular East Renfrewshire trainer were American Affair, Eternal Sunshine, Kelpie Grey, Tafsir, and Braes Of Doune. 

Karl Burke (8-18; 44%; +£23.01) was another to enjoy Musselburgh success courtesy of Ice Max, Liamarty Dreams, and Media Shooter. Dumfries-based Iain Jardine (6-55; 11%; +£11.50) fared next best numerically, while Richard Fahey (5-20; 25%; +£0.48) and Ben Haslam (4-13; 31%; +£10.00) were also responsible for a regular supply of Musselburgh winners from a smaller sample. 

Despite being based in North Yorkshire, the vastly experienced Paul Mulrennan (15-62; 24%; +£4.15) is a regular on the Scottish circuit, riding twice as many Musselburgh winners last year than anyone else. Given his partnership with Jim Goldie, Mulrennan will no doubt be targeting more Sky Bet Sunday Series success in 2025. 

Other riders to note at Musselburgh in 2024 included Oisin Orr (8-37; 22%; -£2.88), Callum Rodriguez (7-17; 41%; +£12.40), Sam James (5-19; 26%, +£17.83), and Joe Fanning (5-45; 11%; -£29.26). Rodriguez boasted an impressive 41% strike-rate, with Jer Batt and Cover Point among those winners. 

“Musselburgh is a front-running track. There’s always quite a lot of speed on the front end. You need to be able to handle the undulations, the tight enough bends, and in a sprint, you ideally need a high draw on the stands’ rail.” 

Those who appreciate racing close to the pace thrive around Musselburgh, and it is a track where specialists can run up a sequence, defying the attentions of the handicapper. 

Two horses, Molten Sea (William Haggas) and Kelpie Grey (Jim Goldie), were unbeaten at Musselburgh in 2024. The JP McManus-owned Reel Her In (Ben Haslam), Little Ted (Tim Easterby), and Dain Ma Nut In (Lucinda Russell) were others to record more than a single Musselburgh win.