Strong entries feature throughout Musselburgh Racecourse’s big meeting this Saturday when the East Lothian course hosts The Edinburgh Cup, sponsored by Edinburgh Gin.
And football legend Harry Redknapp will hope his success over many years on the pitch transfers to racing turf with one of his horses making the trip up from Lambourn.
With more than £150,000 in total prize money spread over seven races, the 1m 1f £50,000 feature race, The Edinburgh Cup Handicap Stakes (4pm), has naturally grabbed the attention of leading yards.
Charlie Johnston landed last year’s contest with Lion Of War which subsequently was placed second at Royal Ascot and the Middleham trainer has two entries in the shape of Carolina Reaper and Individualism.
Given Joe Fanning has already been booked for the mount on the latter, he would seem a likely runner and he was second over a similar trip on the Sky Bet Sunday Series card at Musselburgh last month. Individualism is owned by Scotsman Dr Jim Walker and is a half-brother to the same connections’ Group 1 hero Subjectivist.
When the race was staged over a longer trip, William Haggas was a two-time winner and the Newmarket handler is looking for a hat-trick going double-handed with Approval and Highland Spring, while Tim Easterby and David Allan look to team up with Bubbles Wonky, an interesting handicap debutante for King Power Racing.
Soprano, trained in Newmarket by George Boughey, is an intended runner in the £40,000 Edinburgh Gin Queen Of Scots Fillies’ Listed Handicap over seven-furlongs (3.25pm).
She was a close third in last year’s Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot and holds a Group 1 entry in the Commonwealth Cup back at the big meeting next month.
Scottish trainer Iain Jardine has hopes pinned on Sibyl Charm, a three times winner at Newcastle since the start of the year, while veteran football coach Harry Redknapp’s colours are sported by Richard Hughes-trained Les Bleus, who was placed in Group 2 company last season. Top-rated entry is recent narrow Group 3 runner-up Stenton Glider, trained in Cheshire by Hugo Palmer, and she has a BHA mark of 104.
Musselburgh Racecourse general manager, Bill Farnsworth, said: “The Edinburgh Cup is a mainstay of our summer racing programme and again we have attracted some very interesting entries which point to a fantastic day’s racing.
“The form of past renewals of this race has been played out at the highest level with plenty of subsequent Group 2 and Group 3 winners as well as placings in Group 1 events, so our racegoers are in for a treat.
“It’s great to be racing on Derby Day and naturally we will be showing the big race from Epsom on screens throughout the racecourse.”
Hospitality packages for Saturday sold out some time ago and with brisk admission sales the East Lothian course is expecting a record Edinburgh Cup attendance.
Book your raceday ticket before midnight on the 31 May and save £5 per person.
For more information and to book tickets visit the Musselburgh Racecourse website www.musselburgh-racecourse.co.uk
