Ayr Racecourse attracts record crowds
for Scottish Grand National Festival

By: Our Own Correspondent

ALMOST 22,000 people flocked to Ayr Racecourse over last weekend for the Coral Scottish Grand National Festival.


[CLICK ON IMAGE TO VIEW / DOWNLOAD FULL-SIZE VERSION.]

The two-day crowd was the largest for more than 25 years, with 5,500 in attendance on Friday and more than 17,200 on Saturday.

And a staggering 1.1 million viewers watched the race live on Channel 4 – a significant increase on last year.

The new £4.5 million Grandstand Bar opened for the first time, and was voted a great success. One racegoer, Alan Clarke from Ayr said: “The facilities here have improved greatly. The new bar is a tremendous asset, and there was very little queuing over the two days.”

More than 1,500 people stayed on to watch The Saw Doctors on Friday night and the Irish rockers played a set that lasted almost two hours.

It certainly was thirsty work over the weekend, and almost 50,000 pints of beer were sold and bar taking were up on the same weekend last year.

Tote turnover at their on course betting outlets was also appreciably up year on year, and the 18 new bookmakers pitches in the Paddock Lawn area and in the Grandstand also reported brisk business.

A total of 800 staff were on hand to make sure everything ran smoothly, and a huge fleet of taxis ferried punters into Ayr and Prestwick and other surrounding towns and villages after racing, ensuring a huge spin-off for the local community.

Racecourse spokesman Iain Ferguson said: “The weekend was a great success, and my phone has been red-hot with people congratulating the team at Ayr on a job well done.

“In addition to the great crowd, we also had increased media interest, and had the Channel 4 racing team here, two BBC Television crews, a team from Scottish Television, BBC radio news and sports reporters, local radio journalists and an army of writers and photographers from all the leading newspapers in the UK and Ireland.

”The Ayrshire economy will have had a huge spin-off running well into seven figures, with local hotels, bars, restaurants, taxi operators and shops all benefiting.”

www.ayr-racecourse.co.uk

* * *

Ayr Racecourse all set for the Scottish Grand National Festival

By: Iain Ferguson

SCOTLAND’S premier jumps meeting, the Coral Scottish Grand National Festival takes place at Ayr racecourse on Friday 18 April and Saturday 19 April, with 15 races over the two days.


Prize money for the meeting is at an all-time high of £563,000 and on Saturday there are two races counting for the BHA Order of Merit Series - the Coral Scottish Grand National which carries a prize fund of £200,000 and the £100,000 Samsung Electronics Scottish Champion Hurdle.


[Pictured: Hot Weld, winner of the Scottish Grand National 2007.]

Other major races over the two days include on Friday 18 April the £30,000 Coral Supporting Poppyscotland Mares Only Handicap Hurdle over two miles and the Hillhouse Quarry Handicap Chase, also with £30,000 in prize money, over two miles four furlongs.

On Coral Scottish Grand National Day, the Ashleybank Investments Future Champion Novices’ Chase over two miles four furlongs has £50,000 on offer, while the Albert Bartlett & Sons Handicap Chase over two miles has £30,000 in prize money.

There are many other attractions over the two days, including a live appearance after racing on Friday by Irish folk rock band The Saw Doctors. Always popular with the racing fraternity, this five-piece band will play in the new £4.5 million Grandstand Bar which will open for the first time that day.

While The Saw Doctors are playing in the Grandstand Bar, the Horseshoe Bar will have a disco blasting out the latest sounds. And on both days the party mood will be obvious as soon as the doors open and the samba sounds of Beats of Brazil will be heard in the paddock area.

On Saturday, the Criterion Jazz Band will also be playing during the afternoon, and on both days racegoers will arrive to the sounds of traditional Scottish music played by pipers. And after racing on Saturday, Reload will play in the Horseshoe Bar.

Another splendid new facility opening on Friday 18 April is the Owners Bar situated on the ground floor of the Princess Royal Stand. This luxurious Bar will not only cater for owners and trainers but also Owners Bar members who pay a special premium rate to join. In addition to bar and restaurant facilities there is also an exclusive betting shop.

To book, log on to www.ayr-racecourse.co.uk or by telephone 0870-8505666.

Ayr Racecourse and the associated Western House Hotel are members of the Elite Ayrshire Business Circle.

* * *

Ayr Racecourse hosts Saw Doctors
at Scottish Grand National Festival

THE worlds of music and horse racing will meet at Ayr Racecourse next month when Irish folk rockers the Saw Doctors play after racing on the first day of the Coral Scottish Grand National Festival.


[Picture shows: The Saw Doctors. CLICK ON IMAGE TO VIEW / DOWNLOAD FULL-SIZE VERSION.]

The band, who last month were honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2008 Meteor Ireland Music Awards in Dublin, will play on Friday 18 April in the new £4.5 million Grandstand Bar which opens at the course that day.

The Saw Doctors are due on stage approximately 20 minutes after the last race which is at 5.45pm. Entry to the gig is by race tickets only, which are £25 for Club and £15 for Grandstand.

It is expected the large numbers of owners, trainers and jockeys who will be at Ayr for racing will stay on to see the group affectionately known as “racing’s band”. They have a great affinity with the racing world, and have already played a string of racecourse dates throughout the UK.

Last year the Saw Doctors appeared with Deacon Blue at Rock At The Racecourse at Ayr, and racecourse PRO Iain Ferguson said: “It should be a very good night. There is usually a decent crowd at the Friday meeting before the Scottish Grand National, and the Saw Doctors will add to that.

“I know by talking to the jump jockeys who regularly ride here that they are looking forward to seeing the band.”

Tickets can be purchased online at www.ayr-racecourse.co.uk or by calling 0870-8505666. There is a £2 discount available on Club tickets if these are booked seven or more days in advance, and £4 discount for quantities of 20 or more. Grandstand discounts are £1 per ticket on bookings up to 20 and £2 per ticket for 20 or more.

The Saw Doctors concert will be the first of several at Ayr Racecourse in 2008. Status Quo headline this year’s Burns Rock At The Racecourse on Saturday 24 May and Abba tribute band Bjorn Again appear after racing on Saints and Sinners Night on 20 June.

www.sawdoctors.com

* * *

The Scottish Grand National -

Ayr’s social event of the year!

AYR’S biggest sporting AND social event of the year - the Coral Scottish Grand National - is just a few days away, and already excitement is building, with more than 18,000 people expected to flock to Ayr Racecourse on Saturday 21 April.


Picture shows: Run for Paddy (left) battling with Ladalko and Royal Emperor to win the Scottish Grand National 2006.

And with around 5,000 likely to be in attendance on Friday - the first day of the two day festival – not only the course will be busy, but also local hotels, bars, restaurants, shops and taxi companies.

The Racecourse is geared up for the big event with more than 800 staff in place to make sure everything runs as smoothly as possible so that everyone enjoys their weekend’s racing.


Picture shows: The raceday crowds soaking up the Ayr sunshine.

A feature of the on course facilities again this year will be the John Smith’s No Nonsense tented village with 67 bars and a huge variety of food outlets.

Another huge improvement is the state of the art £200,000 parade ring and sumptuous Champagne Gardens, including the latest revolutionary Ferado Terrace which enables guests to eat and drink outdoors no matter the weather.

There will be entertainment in the form of samba band Beats of Brazil who are returning to the racecourse by popular demand and Club stand patrons can enjoy live music in the Horseshoe Bar within the Princess Royal Suite on Friday with New Trix and on Saturday with the Halos. Both these bans will play for three hours after racing.

Corporate hospitality bookings over the two days are in excess of 2,000 and its anticipated there will be more than 4000 burgers eaten, 45,000 pints of beer and lager drunk, 1200 bottles of champagne quaffed, 2500 bottles of wine sold and 1800 bottles of spirits dispensed. And to make sure everyone remains cool, a staggering 4,800,000 ice cubes will be added to the drinks.

Advance ticket sales are well up on this stage last year and hospitality is at an all time high.

Ayr Racecourse Marketing Manager Lindsey Smith told Ayrshire Business News: “Everything is geared for a tremendous two days, and we are pulling out all the stops to ensure everyone who attends has a fabulous time.

“All our bars and restaurants will have extra staff on duty to ensure nobody has to wait too long for service. This worked so well at last year’s Ayr Gold Cup Festival, and we are sure it will be a success again.

“With advance ticket sales so high and hospitality bookings also very healthy, we are anticipating our biggest crowd for many years.”

Tickets can be booked in advance by calling 0870-8505666 or by going online at www.ayr-racecourse.co.uk

Ayrshire Business News

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