Musselbrough racecourse is located Musselbrough, Scotland. The course is situated near River Esk, and is known to be the biggest racecourse in the whole of Scotland, after Ayr racecourse. It was opened way back in 1816, and is among the few racecourses that host both flat and National Hunt races. Its strategic position makes it accessible to
many people, thus attracting a good number of racegoers to its race meetings. It is situated near the A1 and the Edinburgh City Bypass.
Racing was first recorded in Musselbrough racecourse in the year 1777. The meetings were then shifted to Leith between 1789 and 1816 before returning permanently to Musselbrough after being allocated land by the town council. The racecourse fared well until 1980 when it went bankrupt due to a reduced number of racegoers after the off course betting shops were legislated. This forced the East Lothian Council to take over its management from the Lothians Racing Syndicate Limited. In 1994, the Lothians Racing Syndicate and the East Lothian Council merged together and formed the Musselbrough Joint Racing Committee whose major role was to run the racecourse. In 1995, the committee came up with plans to refurbish the racecourse. A new hospitality stand and a weighing room
were erected. The Edwardian Grandstand was renovated, giving it a whole new look. Recently, the racecourse has invested a total of 140,000 Euros in an Owners and Trainers private place. The facility is exclusive, and is only meant
for horse owners and their trainers.
The most notable race staged Musselbrough racecourse is the Maggie Dickson Stakes. This is a flat race that allows in horses from age 3. It happens over 1,438 metres, and takes place every June. The initial run took place in 2017. Today, the racecourse takes pride in its annual attendance of 70,000 people, up from 1999’s 38,000, which is saying something.