Musselburgh Racecourse has been given Royal approval to name a new race after Her Majesty the Queen.

The Queen’s Cup will be a £100,000 staying open heritage handicap race over 14 furlongs for four year olds and upwards and the feature race on a £200,000 card which launches a new Easter Saturday fixture for the East Lothian track.

Bill Farnsworth, the raceourse's chief executive, said he hoped The Queen’s Cup would be established as the first of the flat season’s top staying handicaps, preceding the Chester Cup, Northumberland Plate and the Betfred Ebor.

In a shake-up of fixtures Musselburgh has swapped its traditional Easter Sunday fixture to allow it to extend the long running Scottish Cheltenham Trials event in February into a weekend festival.

Mr Farnsworth said: “We are delighted to have obtained the personal approval of the Queen to name a race in her honour following her recent visit to the course to mark our Bi-Centenary year. We hope to establish The Queen’s Cup as the Flat season’s first top quality staying handicap."

Meanwhile, Musselburgh is back racing on Friday (5 Aug) with the Archerfield Cup Race Day which has £62,500 prize money over the seven races, including the £25,00 feature race the Archerfield Cup Handicap over 1m 6f.

Bill Farnsworth added: “We have some excellent entries from the leading southern stables including Sir Mark Prescott and William Haggas so it will be an excellent Friday afternoon of racing.”

Gates open at noon on Friday and the first race is at 2pm. For more information and to book tickets please visit www.musselburgh-racecourse.co.uk