Regal Parade (right, white and blue cap) wins the 2008 Ayr Gold Cup

  PICTURE: John Grossick  

Scottish tracks show way to beat the recession

RECESSION, what recession? That seems to be the message coming out of Scotland, where Ayr and Perth have clinched major race sponsorships and Musselburgh has posted the Sold Out sign for ladies' day on Saturday, June 6.

Following on Ayr's securing William Hill for a package of support, Perth has agreed a three-year deal with Newwave Recruitment to sponsor a trio of races, including the valuable feature event, the City of Perth Gold Cup, on Sunday, May 31.

Newwave Recruitment is a UK-wide staffing organization, which boasts radical and innovative approaches to providing temporary managerial and operational staff to the construction, industrial care and commercial sectors.

The company's MD Mike Checkley said: "Perth racecourse is a superb venue and lends itself perfectly to promoting our business."

Course manager Sam Morshead added: "These are challenging times for us all, and I'm delighted and grateful that Newwave has chosen us as a business partner."

Musselburgh reports that for the third year ina row all 7,500 public tickets for its ladies' day fixture have been sold, 11 weeks ahead of the meeting. Limited corporate and hospitality package tickets are available.

General manager Bill Farnsworth said: "We don't like turning away customers, but due to crowd limitations and wanting to ensure everyone has a comfortable experience on the day, we have no choice."