Horse racing in Scotland
Horseracing in Scotland has a long and proud history. During the reign of King James VI and I members of the Royal Court developed a passion for horseracing in Scotland, before they began to establish a centre for horse racing in Newmarket.[1]
In the modern era, horse racing in Scotland comes under a British, as opposed to national aegis. In contrast to England, however, wealthy owners have been rare in Scotland, and the turf certainly developed in England rather than Britain. The contributions of Scots owners such as the fourth Duke of Queensberry were made south of the Border.[2]
There are five currently operating racecourses in Scotland - one exclusively for flat racing, two exclusively for jump racing and two mixed. Between them they will hold one hundred and three race meetings in 2014.[3] Scottish race meetings tend to have a strong local feeling, local runners and local patronage.[2]
The main National Hunt meeting held is the Scottish Grand National meeting at Ayr each April, and the main Flat meeting is the Western Meeting, featuring the Ayr Gold Cup, at the same course each September.
History
There is evidence of horse racing in Scotland from at least 1500. Among the earliest records of racing are those in the Lord Treasurer's Accounts, the records of King James IV's personal expenditure. There are only four references to horse racing, all in 1503-4, including a payment made in 1504 to a jockey, ‘the boy that ran the King’s horse’ at Leith. Relative to James' other sporting interests such as falconry and golf this is very few.[4]
A well-known ‘annual’ race was instituted at Haddington in 1552, but reference to this in royal records is restricted to a single entry. It is not until the reign of James VI that racing truly emerges. but when he saw the possibilities of racing on Newmarket Heath in 1605 he became an enthusiast for horse racing. Although the sport went into abayance during the Civil War and the Interregnum, the sport bounced back after the Restoration. From then on, racing took place all over Scotland, more intensively in the Lowlands than in the Highlands and has continued down to the present day.[4]
Racecourses
There five racecourses in Scotland are:
- Ayr Racecourse in Ayrshire - (mixed)
- Hamilton Park in South Lanarkshire - (flat)
- Kelso Racecourse in the Scottish Borders - (national hunt)
- Musselburgh Racecourse (formerly officially known as Edinburgh Racecourse[5]) in East Lothian - (mixed; was flat only until 1987)
- Perth Racecourse in Perth and Kinross - (national hunt)
Historically, there were also Lanark Racecourse (closed 1977; was flat only) and Bogside Racecourse (closed 1965; mixed, and the traditional home of the Scottish Grand National).
Lanark was home to the oldest continually run horse racing event - the Lanark Silver Bell, first contested in the reign of William the Lion of Scotland in the 12th or early 13th century, and last run in 1977 before the course closed.[6] After a break of 30 years it was revived at Hamilton in 2008.[citation needed]
External links
References
- ^ "History". British Horse Racing. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
- ^ a b Burnett 1998, p. 55.
- ^ "Home". Scottish Racing. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
- ^ a b Burnett 1998, p. 56.
- ^ NB - this usage is slightly inaccurate since Musselburgh has never been in the City of Edinburgh boundaries
- ^ Mortimer, Onslow & Willett 1978.
Bibliography
- Burnett, John (1998). "The Sites and Landscapes of Horse Racing in Scotland Before 1860" (PDF). The Sports Historian. 18 (1). The British Society of Sports History: 55–75. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
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