Scottish racing brought in £300 million in 2016 says annual report

The contribution of Scottish racing to the country's economy was on Friday highlighted by Miles Briggs, Conservative MSP for Lothian following the publication of Scottish Racing’s Annual Report for 2016, through an early-day motion in the Scottish parliament at Holyrood.

The document indicated that racing – which takes place in Scotland at Ayr, Hamilton, Kelso, Musselburgh and Perth – generated more than £300 million last year, with the industry providing 3,430 full-time jobs.

Briggs, who recently spoke out about the wrangle which jeopardised Musselburgh’s future, said: “I welcome the information contained in Scottish Racing’s Annual Report 2016, which showed that Scottish racing generated over £300 million in Scotland last year and sustained thousands of jobs. This demonstrates just how important a sector of the economy Scottish racing is.

“I know from my own Lothian region, which contains Musselburgh racecourse, that jobs are created not just at the racecourse itself but through the many associated services like training and stabling and in the hospitality and tourism sector more broadly.

“Musselburgh racecourse attracts thousands of people to the area, which helps numerous local businesses gain extra trade.”

The figures in the report show football is the only sport which attracts more people than racing, and Briggs added: “It's also good to see that attendances at races have recovered well since the financial crisis and are now above 300,000, which means racing is second in the top five spectator sports in Scotland measured by attendances, above both rugby and golf tournaments.

“I believe Scotland’s horseracing industry is well placed to grow and help deliver even greater economic benefits in the years ahead.”

An early-day motion was also tabled in the House of Commons at Westminster earlier this week.

Musselburgh's much-publicised precarious situation as regards its operating licence from the BHA – a result of internal strife involving local councillors – is hopefully behind the track, a situation Briggs addressed at the time, saying: “The fact we faced the imminent cancellation of important race dates at Musselburgh and endured all the associated uncertainty and negative media coverage for the racecourse over recent months has been regrettable and damaging.”