Three year old Islay romps home in the Corgi Derby at Musselburgh

A three year old Pembroke Welsh Corgi was the outright winner at Musselburgh in the 2026 Corgi Derby and her owner Caroline Ricardo from Glasgow said the secret is – sausages.

The New Yorker, who is a vet at University of Glasgow, said that they had not had much time for training the dog who was born in New Zealand, but it clearly did not matter as the dog romped home over the line at least three lengths ahead of the competition.

Carolyn’s admitted to having some of the dog’s favourite treats in her pocket to entice her to race over the finish line. The wee dog’s team of supporters all had matching t-shirts in a new move at the annual event.
Seventeen dogs began the race and 17 finished although some much later than others. Number 1 appeared to come in a good but later later than the rest however there were others who were carried to the start line in order to conserve energy.

A great fun event which is the precursor to the Easter Saturday racing at Musselburgh.

Now in its fifth year and inaugurated to mark the late Queen Elizabeth the Second’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022, the Corgi Derby attracted more than 50 entries and a ballot was held to select the final14 runners.

Musselburgh Racecourse Head of Marketing and Business Development, Aisling Johnston, said: “Our Virgin Bet Scottish Sprint Cup Raceday is a fixture featuring lots of high quality horse racing with more than £300,000 on offer – but it’s no exaggeration to say our little four-legged friends do their best to steal the show.

“It’s great fun for all ages and you don’t need to be barking mad to enjoy the Corgi Derby but it helps. Congratulations to Islay who proved a worthy sixth winner of the Musselburgh Corgi Derby.”