There will be a lot of activity across the city’s hairdressers this morning with all the ladies getting ready for the off at the racing today.
With more suntans and stilettos on parade than on a TOWIE film set, Musselburgh plays host today to the Stobo Castle Ladies Day.
The East Lothian track has recorded its ninth consecutive Ladies Day sell out and has even caught the eye of Grand National winning jockey Ryan Mania, who will help judge the day’s Best Dressed Lady in the £3000 Queen of Style event.
Racing highlight at Musselburgh’s most glamorous meeting of the summer is the £20,000 Stobo Castle Ladies Day Cup (4.00) and the weights are headed by the classy Mutual Regard, a welcome raider from the Newmarket stable of Sir Mark Prescott and a promising second to Johnnie Delta on his recent reappearance at Ayr.
Long distance traveller Street Entertainer is the likely favourite and David Pipe’s versatile dual purpose stayer was an effortless winner back on the turf at Nottingham last Sunday and will make a bold bid to defy his 6lb penalty .
Street Entertainer though could be hard pressed by northern rivals Platinum from the in-form yard of Philip Kirby and the Jim Goldie trained Merchant Of Dubai. When the pair met at Musselburgh recently Platinum prevailed by one and three quarter lengths but he has to give away an extra 7lbs to Merchant Of Dubai this time round and Graham Lee’s mount can reverse the placings.
Ladies Day sponsors Stobo Castle also support the Madeleine Cup Handicap (2.20) in which Mark Johnston’s Mushaakis will be well fancied to boost the Middleham trainer’s already healthy strike rate at the East Lothian venue.
A successful performer on the polytrack, Mushaakis returned to the turf to run an encouraging second behind Clock On Tower at Beverley. The going was on the soft side of good on that occasion and Joe Fanning’s mount will be better suited to the faster conditions underfoot at Musselburgh.
M and F Funeral Services return to Musselburgh to sponsor the £8,000 5f sprint handicap at 3.25. Eric Alston’s ultra-consistent Red Baron, runner up on his last four outings, will be fancied to finally go one better but course winner Mercers Row is narrowly preferred.
Trained in North Yorkshire by Karen Tutty and partnered by her daughter Gemma, only recently back riding after injury, Mercers Row regained form at Catterick last time with a creditable second behind the well handicapped Lost In Paris. Karen Tutty has saddled three winners over the past month and Mercers Row has the best draw in the number 11 slot.
As soon as the designer hats and frocks are packed away for another year, Musselburgh gets ready to do it all again tomorrow (Saturday June 15) when it stages its richest meeting of the season, the £155,000 William Hill Scottish Sprint Cup.
The feature race, with an increased £70,000 prize, was traditionally part of Ladies Day but Musselburgh boss Bill Farnsworth is banking that a switch to a Saturday slot will create a crowd pleasing fixture which can evolve to be the UK’s richest five furlong sprint.
He said: “Ladies Day is fun, fashion and furlongs and it’s a formula which has worked very well for us and created a fixture which has a huge following. With the Scottish Sprint Cup our long term ambition is to develop it in to a £100,000 race which would make it the UK’s premier five furlong event. It will take time but we are used to playing the long game at Musselburgh and I am confident we will succeed.”
Stobo Castle Ladies Day is a sell-out but tickets for the William Hill Scottish Sprint Cup are available online at www.musselburgh-racecourse.co.uk and can be purchased at the gate.
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