Musselburgh To Explore Closed Doors Race Meeting

Musselburgh To Explore Closed Doors Race Meeting

Musselburgh Racecourse is in positive discussions with racing authorities and the Scottish Government over what form its next race meeting should take.

The East Lothian course is scheduled to stage the Racing Post Go North meeting on Friday (20 March) but the Scottish Government announced yesterday (Thursday) that events of more than 500 people should not take place in light of the Coronavirus outbreak.

It is possible Musselburgh will follow Kelso Racecourse’s lead which has opted to stage its meeting on Monday behind closed doors.

Musselburgh is consulting with the British Horseracing Authority and other relevant stakeholders to establish how it can continue to support the racing industry in a manner which would not be contrary to the Scottish Government ruling.

Musselburgh Racecourse general manager, Bill Farnsworth, said: “We will follow the guidelines issued by the Scottish Government and explore all options available to us to establish if we can continue racing during this exceptional time.

“The Racing Post Go North meeting has more than £160,000 in prize money and is a very important fixture for Scottish trainers and stables across the north of England. The racing industry, the owners, trainers and stable staff, need all the support they can get and its incumbent on us to continue racing if possible, which helps maintain jobs and incomes.”

It is hoped other fixtures scheduled for Tuesday 31 March and on Easter Saturday will go ahead, but the racecourse will review the situation on a regular basis and strictly follow all Government and NHS advice on best practice on containing the virus.

“In the weeks leading up to future meetings we will review the situation on a daily basis, always following expert advice on how we can play our part in mitigating the spread of COVID-19.

“We will provide regular updates our website and social media channels, to advise racegoers, owners and trainers on and potential changes to our scheduled race meetings.