On Friday, July 8, Queen Elizabeth II, was in attendance at Musselburgh Racecourse in Scotland to revel in the 200th anniversary celebrations that were occurring. Her Majesty was able to watch some live harness racing.
As an article by the Daily Express explains, Queen Elizabeth II had last visited the track in 1995
"We are thrilled and honoured to host Her Majesty and Prince Philip in a double celebration of her landmark 90th birthday and the 200th year since racing was established at Musselburgh,” Racecourse chief executive Bill Farnsworth was quoted as saying.
Farnsworth said that The Queen is “synonymous with horse racing,” and that raceway officials were delighted that she had decided to visit Musselburgh as part of ‘Holyrood Week,’ thus putting the royal seal on the track’s 200th birthday celebrations.
In related news, Woodbine Racetrack in suburban Toronto, Ont. held the 157th edition of The Queen’s Plate this past Sunday and the event was splendid.
As Rob Longley explains in his Toronto Sun piece, wagering, attendance and television numbers were all up this year, due to hard work by the Woodbine Entertainment Group, which included revamped promotions and concerts.
Her Majesty last attended The Queen’s Plate at Woodbine in 2010, but she is also no stranger to live harness racing.
In 1959, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip attended live harness racing at Fredericton Raceway in New Brunswick.
(With files from the Daily Express)