The Mystique of Ayr Racecourse

​

The Mystique of Ayr Racecourse

By Lay Cheong
The Daily Dash
November 11, 2020

Ayr Racecourse at Whitletts Road, Ayr, Scotland, was opened in 1907. There are courses for flat and for National Hunt racing. The course stages the highest-quality racing and most prestigious races run in Scotland in both codes of the sport.

Horse racing in Ayr dates back to 1576, but the first official meeting did not take place until 1771 at a racecourse situated in the Seafield area of the town. This first racecourse was a mile oval with sharp bends. In the early days, racing was supported by the local landed gentry and members of the Caledonian Hunt. Important figures in the course's history have included the Earl of Eglinton, Sir James Boswell and the Duke of Portland.

In 1824, Ayr's most important race meeting, the Western Meeting, was established and by 1838 it offered £2000 in prize money and the most valuable two year old race of the season in Britain. The meeting's feature race, the Ayr Gold Cup, became a handicap race in 1855 and is now the richest sprint handicap in Europe.

Due to the small size of the track and limitations on the size of the paddock, a new site for the racecourse was eventually sought and in 1907, the course was moved to its current location in the Craigie area of town. After extensive research into other British courses, the new course layout was based on that of Newbury, with the exception that Ayr's straight course is six furlongs rather than a mile. The former racecourse is now playing fields, known as the Old Racecourse, and part of Seafield golf course. Local road names Racecourse Road and Racecourse View also reflect this history.

A jumps track was added in 1950 and in 1966 the Scottish Grand National was transferred to the track after Bogside Racecourse was closed down. It is now regarded as the premier racecourse in Scotland.

Ayr has been voted Best Racecourse in Scotland and the North East nineteen times by the Racegoers Club, including the last nine years in a row. It has also won the Neil Wyatt Ground Staff Award for the Best Dual Purpose Course twice - in 1996 and 2011. This award is voted on by representatives of the National Trainers Federation and Professional Jockeys' Association to recognise the achievements of racecourse groundstaff. In 2012, Ayr was nominated in two categories in the Racecourse Association Showcase Awards - the Food and Beverage and Owners' Experience categories, winning the latter. It has been designated a four star visitor attraction by VisitScotland.