History was created at Musselburgh Racecourse at Edinburgh, Scotland today with her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II attending her first ever harness race.
Eight pacers went to post including recent heat and grand final winner of the Red John Memorial Cochise with sixteen year old John Henry Nicholson in the bike.

Read More from Thomas Bennett on HarnessLink.com

A huge thank you for Friday. It was a great effort by everybody and it showed. Everything was the best it has ever been at Musselburgh and it all came together perfectly for an historic day. I will not mention everything but the Queen’s arrival (nice ramp), the security and stewarding, the sculpture, the Queen’s Stand and Royal Box, the flowers, the bunting, the tea and cakes in the Royal Box, the Royal Regimental Band, the PA/CCTV/Racecard, the children’s entertainments, the Shetland Ponies, the Harness Racing, the track, the lawns, the branding, the flag, the PR, the marketing, the introductions, the smiling faces………………..etc, etc, all made it a fantastic delivery of a great day for Musselburgh Racecourse and the team behind it.
The event went like clockwork which disguises the detailed planning and hard work that went into the preparation. We can all be very proud of what has been delivered in the past month. I have been here 17 years and I have never experienced a period like it. The Edinburgh Cup, Ladies Day and the Bi-centenary Day – all brilliantly delivered. The feedback speaks for itself. I genuinely believe that this year we have shown that we can be the Showcase Racecourse Winner whether the RCA Showcase judges agree or not!
Thank you
Bill Farnsworth

On behalf of Musselburgh I would like to thank everyone who made Friday a success for showcasing the sport of harness racing in the UK in front of the most powerful woman in the world, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. Bill Farnsworth sent out an email (above) this morning to thank everyone and this has been the best month in his 17 years at the racecourse where everything went to plan.
On our part the race went well and the first 6 finished within 3 lengths of each other, the race being won by Karen Kennedy owned Evenwood Ruthless driven by Gordon Gilvear.
Myself having spoken to the people who were with Her Majesty said The Queen loved the way they paced and the race was really good to watch. Which on a personal note was amazing feedback and credit to all.
Craig Stevenson