Heading for a sell out at Stobo Castle Ladies Day

Musselburgh Racecourse’s Stobo Castle Ladies Day is heading for another sell-out with less than 100 tickets remaining for Friday’s glamour event.

The fashion-led race day will welcome 5,000 racegoers in what will be Musselburgh’s largest race meeting since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Described as a “boutique” race day, with around half of the usual 10,000 attendance pre-Covid, former Radio 1 DJ and television presenter Edith Bowman will host the After Racing party.

Before that, seven quality races will provide plenty of entertainment on the turf, while off-track the best dressed guests will compete in the traditional fashion shows for Queen of Style, King of Style and Best Hat titles.*

But with the “Electric Bridge” route from New Street to the racecourse now closed to traffic, racecourse boss Bill Farnsworth is urging racegoers to plan ahead to avoid traffic congestion.

He said: “Unfortunately, the permanent closure of the Electric Bridge, will impact on traffic flow. We have introduced a new traffic management plan to ensure that travelling through Musselburgh on the day will be as smooth as possible, but we would advise people to avoid Linkfield Road wherever possible, especially prior to the first race at 2.15pm and after the last race at 5.20pm.”

Traffic congestion aside, Mr Farnsworth said racecourse staff had pulled out all the stops to host a glamorous, colourful, exciting and safe Ladies Day.

He added: “Against a constantly changing background of uncertainty due to Covid-19, it was touch and go whether our most popular race day would take place, so to say we are delighted this ‘boutique’ event is under starter’s orders is an understatement.

“Like many operators in the hospitality sector, our sponsors Stobo Castle have endured a challenging period during Covid, and we are genuinely happy to continue what has evolved into a respectful partnership with the Borders-based health spa resort.

“Without racehorse owners, trainers, jockeys and stable staff, there would be no Stobo Castle Ladies Day or any other race day, and the way the industry has battled through the most challenging of times has been impressive and not to be underestimated.

“We hope the 5,000 race goers who have looked out their handbags and gladrags – or more likely spent a small fortune on new ones specially for the occasion – have a fantastic day at Musselburgh Races and enjoy this one-off boutique experience.”

*First prize in the Queen of Style event is £1500; King of Style £500; Best Hat £300 voucher for milliner Sally-Ann Provan’s Edinburgh Hat Studio.