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 locallanded 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 namesRacecourse 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.
Characteristics
Flat
Flat races at Ayr are run over the following distances:
5 furlongs
6 furlongs
7 furlongs 50 yards
1 mile
1 mile 1 furlong 20 yards
10 furlongs
1 mile 2 furlongs 192 yards
1 mile 5 furlongs 13 yards
1 mile 7 furlongs
2 miles 1 furlong 105 yards
The track is a left-handed oval of 12 furlongs including a half mile run in. A six furlong chute joins the round track after just over a furlong. The course is generally flat, with gentle undulations, particularly in the straight. The turns are well graded and it can be regarded as basically a fair track.
Jumps
Hurdle races are run over distances of:
2 miles 1 furlong
2 miles 4 furlongs
2 miles 6 furlongs
3 miles 110 yards
3 miles 2 furlongs 110 yards
3 miles 3 furlongs 110 yards
Chases are run over:
2 miles
2 miles 4 furlongs
2 miles 5 furlongs 110 yards
3 miles 1 furlong
3 miles 2 furlongs 110 yards
3 miles 3 furlongs 110 yards
3 miles 5 furlongs
4 miles 110 yards
The jumps course is a left-handed one and a half mile circuit with nine fences. It runs downhill to the home turn and thereafter there is a gentle rise to the finish, a run-in of 210 yards. Conditions can get extremely gruelling.
Ayr has been voted Best Racecourse in Scotland and the North East nineteen times by the Racegoers Club, including nine years in a row up until 2013. 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 five star visitor attraction by VisitScotland.
