Musselburgh ends Jumps season on a high with £140k Go North finals

The seven fixture card boasts more than £140,000 prize money including four £30,000 races as the East Lothian course joins Kelso and Carlisle to celebrate the best of northern racing and the best northern-based owners and trainers.

In Musselburgh’s own Edinburgh Gin Owners’ Championship, local owners Gerry McGladery and PJ Russell are in pole position with three wins over the season and have two horses entered in the final meeting, but due to having more second places, Ken McGarrity and Murray Cameron (two wins) could steal the title from under their noses with their solitary entry if they level on three a piece.

Jockey Brian Hughes seems certain to be named Champion Jockey with his 12 wins to date, five ahead of nearest rival Adam Wedge, while in the Trainers’ Championship Kinross-based trainer Lucinda Russell is three ahead of Donald McCain with 11 and 8 wins, respectively.

Musselburgh Racecourse general manager, Bill Farnsworth, said: “We are staging four of the Racing Post Go North finals here at Musselburgh on Friday, all valued at £30,000 and all hurdle races, so it should be a cracking finale to an excellent National Hunt season.

“The Go North weekend festival is a brilliant way of honouring and rewarding our local owners and trainers who support racing in the north week-in week-out, and along with Kelso and Carlisle we are delighted to be playing our part in recognising their valuable contribution to the sport.”

Each of the Racing Post Go North finals have been named after some of racing’s greatest horses trained in the North – in Musselburgh’s case it is Grey Bomber, Sea Pigeon, Brindisi Breeze and Lady Buttons – and include a juvenile hurdle, two-mile hurdle, stayers' hurdle and a mares' hurdle.

Gates open on Friday at 11.30am on Friday and first race is off at 1.15pm. For more information and to book tickets please visit www.musselburgh-racecourse.co.uk