Musselburgh Racing Today: Racecards, Results, Tips & Fixtures

Today

Checking the Musselburgh races today, or planning ahead for the next meeting? Everything you need is on this one page: live racecards, results, non-runners, fixtures and our guide to the track.

Musselburgh sits just six miles east of Edinburgh and is Scotland's second-biggest racecourse behind Ayr. It races under both codes, with Flat racing from spring to autumn and jumps racing through the winter, so there's horse racing at Musselburgh almost all year round.

Musselburgh Racecards Today

Today's Musselburgh race card is in the feed above. Runners, riders, the latest going and live odds refresh automatically throughout the day, so you always see the current picture before you bet.

Musselburgh Races Fixtures 2026

Five fixtures remain at Musselburgh in 2026: two more on the Flat, then three jumps meetings to see out the year.

Musselburgh Racing Tips

We don't publish daily Musselburgh racing tips at the moment, but these features of the track are worth weighing up before any bet:

• Speed beats stamina on the Flat. The round course is tight and right-handed, with a run-in of only around four furlongs. Horses that race handily tend to do best, as there's little time for hold-up types to make up ground.
• Course form counts. Some horses handle the sharp turns far better than others. A previous win at Musselburgh, or at similar tight tracks such as Chester or Hamilton, is a useful pointer.
• Sprints are rapid. The straight five furlongs joins the round course and is one of the quickest tests in Scotland. Early pace and a good break from the stalls are essential.
• Jumps races favour nimble, accurate jumpers. There are only eight fences, four in each straight, and they come up fast on a sharp circuit. Slick jumpers who can hold a position tend to outperform big, long-striding chasers here.

Musselburgh Racecourse Guide

The Flat track is a right-handed oval of about 1 mile 2 furlongs, with sharp bends and almost no gradient. A straight five-furlong course joins the round track four furlongs from home. An all-weather strip was added on the bends in 2012 to protect the turf from wear.

The jumps course runs slightly longer than the Flat circuit and stays tight and right-handed. Jumps racing only arrived at Musselburgh in 1987, so the course is younger under National Hunt rules than most. Inside the track sits Musselburgh Links, a nine-hole golf course dating back to at least 1672.

Draw and Ground

The draw matters more at Musselburgh than at galloping tracks. On the round course, a low draw near the inside rail can save ground on the tight bends, while horses drawn wide risk being carried out.

In sprints, watch the early races for any bias toward one rail before backing a runner. Firmer summer ground rewards pace even further, while softer winter going gives stayers a better chance to close.

Big Races and Feature Racedays at Musselburgh

Musselburgh builds its year around a set of headline racedays, starting on 1 January and running through to the summer.

• New Year's Day Raceday. The Musselburgh races on New Year's Day are one of the most popular jumps fixtures in Scotland and a traditional way to start the racing year.
• The Scottish Cheltenham Trials. Musselburgh's top jumps meeting, where runners step up in preparation for the Cheltenham Festival and the Grand National. The Edinburgh National, a four-mile handicap chase, is one of the course's most famous jumps races.
• Easter Saturday. The 2026 card was worth over £300,000 and featured the Scottish Sprint Cup, the historic Queen's Cup and the new Listed Goliath Cup. It is also home to the Corgi Derby, a 70-metre dash for corgis first run in 2022 for Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee.
• The Edinburgh Cup. Musselburgh's biggest June raceday, run on 6 June in 2026. The card also includes the Listed Queen of Scots Stakes over seven furlongs for fillies and mares.
• Ladies Day. Billed as Scotland's biggest Ladies Day, it combines racing with fashion prizes and an after-racing party. It moved to August, with the 2026 edition on 7 August selling out in advance.
• Oktoberfest Raceday. A lively autumn Flat meeting featuring the Musselburgh Gold Cup.

Musselburgh also hosts family racedays and a 90s Friday night meeting. Harness racing has returned to the track too: the famous Musselburgh Pace, the top race in the British harness racing calendar, was back in June 2025 and staged again on 13 June 2026.

History

The first recorded Musselburgh races took place in 1777, organised by the Royal Caledonian Hunt. Meetings moved to the sands at Leith between 1789 and 1816, before returning for good to a new course laid out by the town council in 1816. The Hunt were so pleased with it that they gave 50 guineas to the town's poor.

The track was officially called Edinburgh Racecourse until 1996, although locals had always known it as Musselburgh. It struggled financially by the early 1990s, and East Lothian Council stepped in to run it in 1991. A £7.5 million refurbishment followed from 1995, including the Queen's Stand, a restored Edwardian Grandstand and a new parade ring. Attendances have since grown to over 70,000 a year.

Visiting Musselburgh Racecourse

The course is at Linkfield Road, Musselburgh, East Lothian, EH21 7RG, on the eastern edge of the town. It's around six miles from Edinburgh city centre, less than a mile from the A1 and two miles from the Edinburgh City Bypass. Parking on racedays is free, and Musselburgh train station is a short walk away.

Tickets for Musselburgh races and hospitality packages are sold through the official racecourse website. Children aged 17 and under go free with an adult at many meetings, and the biggest days such as Ladies Day often sell out well in advance. There is no formal dress code on most racedays, but plenty of racegoers dress up for the feature meetings.

Watching Musselburgh Races Today Live

Want to know what channel the Musselburgh races are on? Every race is broadcast live on Racing TV. Many bookmakers also stream Musselburgh racing live to customers with a funded account or a bet on the race, and replays are usually available soon after.

Best Bookmakers for Musselburgh Racing

Shopping around pays off at Musselburgh. Best odds guaranteed is especially valuable in the competitive handicaps, as you'll be paid at the starting price if it beats the odds you took. On the big Easter and Edinburgh Cup cards, look out for bookies offering extra places on each-way bets.

FAQs

Is Musselburgh racing on today?

The racecard feed at the top of this page shows whether there's a meeting at Musselburgh today. If there isn't, it displays the next scheduled fixture instead.

How quickly are Musselburgh race results published?

Results usually appear within a few minutes of each race, with the full placings, starting prices and winning connections.

Can I check Musselburgh results from a previous meeting?

Yes. The results feed keeps the latest Musselburgh meeting on screen until the next one starts.

Are the Musselburgh races on TV today?

Yes, every Musselburgh fixture is shown live on Racing TV.

When are the next Musselburgh races?

The next fixture is the Racing TV Raceday on Monday 12 October, followed by the Flat season finale on 4 November. Jumps meetings then follow on 27 November, 7 December and 21 December.

Are there Musselburgh races on New Year's Day?

Yes. The New Year's Day raceday is one of Musselburgh's feature fixtures and a long-standing tradition on the Scottish jumps calendar.

When is Ladies Day at Musselburgh races?

Ladies Day is now held in August. The 2026 edition was on Friday 7 August and sold out before the day.

Does Musselburgh host both Flat and jumps racing?

Yes. Flat racing runs from Easter until early November, with jumps racing from late November through the winter.

Does Musselburgh still hold harness racing?

Yes. Harness racing returned in 2025 after a three-year break, headlined by the Musselburgh Pace.

Where is Musselburgh Racecourse?

At Linkfield Road, Musselburgh, EH21 7RG, around six miles east of Edinburgh.

Musselburgh Weather and Going

Musselburgh is an east-coast track, laid out on links land at the mouth of the River Esk. That usually means drier, breezier conditions than courses on Scotland's Atlantic side, and summer Flat meetings often run on good or good to firm ground.

Winter jumps fixtures are a different story, with cold snaps and frost the main threat. If a meeting is in doubt, the course will call an early inspection, so check the going on the morning before you have a bet.