Musselburgh betting with William Hill

Musselburgh is the second-largest racecourse in Scotland (Ayr being the first), situated in the Millhill area of Musselburgh, East Lothian.

It is a dual-purpose course that stages racing all year round and is widely recognised as one of the leading tracks north of the Scottish border.

Musselburgh stages between 25 and 30 fixtures each year but has two big meetings, Scottish Trials Day in the build-up to the Cheltenham Festival and a high-quality flat card over the Easter Holiday that features the Queen’s Cup Stakes, which was broadcast live on ITV in 2019.

There are some hotly-contested handicaps on that flat card, notably the Scottish Sprint Cup, and it is without doubt the most competitive Musselburgh betting card of the entire year.

Musselburgh was transformed as a course thanks to a significant £7.5m redevelopment at the end of the last century that included a new grandstand, The Queen’s Stand.

It also bankrolled refurbishment of the Edwardian Grandstand, the building of a new Links Pavilion, a brand new weighing room and parade ring, as well as extensive improvements to the course itself.

In the middle of the course is a nine-hole golf course which has been home to the Royal Musselburgh Golf Club since 1774.

Musselburgh betting – the big meetings/races

Musselburgh’s only Listed race of the flat season is the Maggie Dickson Stakes, a 7f contest for fillies aged three and up that takes place in June. It was introduced as a brand-new Listed contest in 2017, with the inaugural running won by the Hugo Palmer-trainer Unforgettable Filly.

The track has developed a tremendous Easter Holiday card that includes some of its biggest prizes of the season. The Royal Mile Handicap, Scottish Sprint Cup Stakes and Queen’s Cup Stakes light up a hugely popular day that attracts the biggest crowd of Musselburgh’s season.

The William Hill Scottish Sprint Cup is always one of the big Musselburgh betting races of the season and is hotly-contested sprint handicap in which trouble in-running is nearly always a factor.

The Queen's Cup (1m6f), implemented as a first-step race for horses moving up the ladder towards a tilt at a race like the Chester Cup or the Ebor later in the season, has already been won by some smart stayers in its four-year history, including one or two that have become successful hurdlers.

Musselburgh’s big jumps day of the year is Scottish Trials Day which takes place in the build-up to the Cheltenham Festival. The two feature races are the Triumph Hurdle Trial and the Scottish County Hurdle, which both regularly feature horses who go on to run at the Festival.

2017 Scottish County Hurdle winner Diego Du Charmil went on to win a Grade 1 novice chase at Aintree the following year.

Musselburgh odds – impact on ante-post betting for future races

The Queen’s Cup Stakes is a Musselburgh betting race that often throws up a staying handicapper capable of progressing into Group races or even the big cup races.

Because it takes place so early in the Flat season, it allows horses to progress that season and a race like the Group 3 Sagaro Stakes at Ascot in May is an obvious next step up the ladder for any progressive stayer on the level.

The Sprint Cup is a major Musselburgh betting event at William Hill and is a hot contest often won by a sprinter that can be a major force in the biggest sprint handicaps of the season like the Stewards’ Cup, Portland Handicap or Great St Wilfrid at Ripon.

Sprint Cup winner in 2010, Hamish McGonagall went on to win a hot sprint handicap at York in August of that year, the Symphony Group Handicap, before running with great credit in Group 3 sprints at The Curragh and Newbury.

Royal Mile winner Travel First (2014), trained by William Haggas, was sent off 7-1 market leader for the Britannia Stakes at Royal Ascot a couple of months later, where he was beaten one-and-three-quarter lengths into fourth.

Musselburgh betting - course characteristics

Musselburgh is a right-handed track that is generally considered to be quite sharp in nature, largely due to the tight home bend on the round course.

The run-in is around four furlongs, so is stiff enough for round-course races, while the 5f straight sprint track is considered to be quick despite having a slight incline.

Runners tend to congregate up the stands’ rail on the straight course which often spells trouble for hold-up horses trapped behind traffic on the inside.

The round course suits nimble horses who have the ability to quicken, especially when conditions are on the quick side, with the sprint off the home turn a crucial part of any round-course contest. However, because the run-in is around four furlongs and is on a slight incline, horses need to be able to stay and stay well if they are to get home.

The course is regarded as one of the best draining decks in the country. Because Musselburgh is located close to the coast, the track is often the victim of harsh weather conditions, especially during the winter, resulting in a higher than average meeting-abandonment rate.

Musselburgh betting tips

Musselburgh is generally considered to be a fair track but it often pays to be drawn near the stands’ rail in sprints, and the ability to race handily is key given the hold-up horses are often jostling for racing room.

Mark Johnston is a Musselburgh regular, perhaps unsurprisingly given its location, and the Middleham trainer tends to operate around the 20 per cent strike-rate mark with his runners, so is a trainer to keep on side when assessing Musselburgh betting lists.

Other trainers to follow at Musselburgh are David Baron, Richard Fahey and Kevin Ryan but also keep an eye on raiders from the Newmarket stable of William Haggas, who won the first edition of Royal Mile Handicap as well as a host of other prizes at the Scottish venue in recent years.

Michael Appleby won the Scottish Sprint Cup twice between 2014 and 2018.

The first four winners of the Queen’s Cup Stakes were all sent off a double-figure price, so although the sample size is still quite small, that has so far proved a bad race for Musselburgh betting favourite backers.

Boost your Musselburgh betting experience

For more Musselburgh betting news, visit news.williamhill.com and be sure to check out William Hill promotions where you can find the best Musselburgh odds throughout the year.

Musselburgh racecourse – how to get there

Musselburgh is located in the east side of the town, around six miles from Edinburgh city centre. It is less than one mile from the A1 and under two miles from the A720 Edinburgh City Bypass.

There is ample free parking available close to the racecourse. Follow the signs to the public car park, which is located just off Balcarres Road.

The nearest train station to the racecourse is Wallyford Station which operates on the Edinburgh Waverley to North Berwick train line.

There is a courtesy bus service that takes racegoers from Wallyford Park and Ride to the racecourse, timed to meet trains from Edinburgh and from North Berwick. The bus service operates both before and after racing.