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

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Status Quo will rock the Burns Festival at Ayr Racecourse

ROCK icons Status Quo are to headline the 2008 Burns Rock At The Racecourse concert at Ayr Racecourse, one of the main events of the Burns an’ a’ that Festival.


As the legendary band announced the prestigious gig, founder member and guitarist Francis Rossi said: “The boys are delighted we have been asked to headline Burns Rock At The Racecourse. Normally the furthest south we are in Scotland is Glasgow, so its good to be playing Ayr.

“I’m not too familiar with the works of Burns, but I’ve plenty of time to read up before the concert, and who knows I might even recite something form his works.”

Burns Rock At The Racecourse will be staged on Saturday 24 May and follows a successful first ever Rock At The Racecourse in May 2007 which featured Deacon Blue and The Saw Doctors.

Burns Festival director Michael McDaid said: “This is great news for the Burns an’ a’ that Festival. Rock At The Racecourse was a huge success last year, and to be able to announce that a band of Status Quo’s standing will be playing next year is brilliant.

“The racecourse is a perfect venue for concerts of this type, and everyone who attended earlier this year recognised that.

“Status Quo have a huge following, and by bringing a band of this magnitude to Ayr we are sure will be build on last year’s audience of 5,000 people. The Burns an’ a’ that Festival is all about attracting visitors to this wonderful part of Scotland, and I am sure we will achieve that with this concert.”

Status Quo is one of the most successful bands in the history of rock. They formed in 1966, and have sold tens of millions of albums and singles all over the world. The band is currently on tour promoting their latest album “In Search Of The Fourth Chord”.

Tickets for the concert priced £27.50 are now on sale from Ayr Racecourse and Ticketmaster.

www.statusquo.co.uk

www.ayr-racecourse.co.uk