Monday 24 August 2026
2:15 'Irish EBF Maiden Stakes' at Musselburgh
Distance: 5f
Drawn: 8
Pivotal Star 2
2yo b g Ubettabelieveit - Starbotton
Owned by: Lee Westwood Partnership
Jockey: Billy Garritty


grass Round Course: Good (Good to Soft in places) Straight Course: Good to Soft
partly_cloudy_day Sunny spells 		directions


Stables: Enjoy Leisure Golf Starter Hut, Musselburgh EH21 7SD

 Musselburgh Racecourse sits on the eastern side of the town, close to the River Esk and only a few miles from Edinburgh, and has staged racing on its present site since 1816. Racing in the area began in 1777 under the Royal Caledonian Hunt, with meetings briefly held on the sands at Leith between 1789 and 1816 before returning permanently to Musselburgh. The course was laid out by the town council, and the Hunt marked its opening by distributing 50 guineas to the town's poor.

The racecourse was long known as Edinburgh Racecourse in the English press and only officially adopted the Musselburgh name in 1996, though Scottish racegoers had used it for decades. It struggled financially after the decline in attendances following the legalisation of betting shops in the 1960s, but East Lothian Council took over in 1991 and invested heavily, transforming it into one of the UK’s most successful small tracks.

The layout is right‑handed, sharp and relatively flat, with a round course of about a mile and a quarter and a straight five‑furlong track that joins the round course four furlongs from home. The bends are tight, favouring handy, agile horses rather than big gallopers. The jumps course, introduced in 1987, mirrors the Flat layout and includes eight fences per circuit. A nine‑hole golf course, Musselburgh Links, sits inside the track and predates the racecourse by more than a century.

Musselburgh is Scotland's second‑largest racecourse after Ayr and now stages around 25–26 fixtures a year across both codes. Its leading Flat races include the Scottish Sprint Cup, the Listed Queen of Scots Stakes, the Edinburgh Cup and the Royal Mile Handicap. Over jumps, the Scottish Cheltenham Trials meeting has grown into its flagship fixture, producing winners who often progress to major spring festivals.

 Musselburgh Racecourse
Linkfield Road
Musselburgh
East Lothian
EH21 7RG