Musselburgh has pipped other leading UK racecourses to win the Operational Excellence title at the Racecourse Association’s Showcase Awards.

The Showcase Awards celebrate excellence and innovation at racecourses around Britain and the East Lothian track was recognised for the work done in growing average annual attendances from 35,000 to nearly 70,000.

Musselburgh was also praised for the steps taken to double capacity for the William Hill Scottish Sprint Cup meeting in June, whilst maintaining high standards across the racecourse.

The independent judging panel were particularly impressed with the way that the racecourse managed the entire process of building such a popular race day and increased the attendance from an average 4,000 to a modern-day record of 9,500.

To handle the massive increase, the racecourse team developed a bespoke new ticketing system, introduced separate entrances to avoid any extra queueing and designed upgraded signage and temporary structures to make access to all areas of the racecourse simple for all racegoers.

Bill Farnsworth, Musselburgh Racecourse general manager, said: “Our challenge was to devise a plan so that we could continue to accommodate the ever-growing number of race-goers who want to attend both flat and jump meetings at Musselburgh without jeopardising their comfort and diluting the visitor experience.

“The Scottish Sprint Cup, held on Stobo Castle Ladies Day, is the highlight of the summer season and demand for tickets has for the last 10 years always exceeded demand.

“Our team rose to the challenge and the end result was that we enjoyed our most successful Scottish Sprint Cup meeting ever and it laid down a blueprint on how to manage larger crowds on the most popular race days.

“We have since spent in the region of £250,000 upgrading facilities over the summer period and investing profits in maintaining and improving the bars, restaurants and signage around the course, and we will continue to find ways of keeping Musselburgh at the forefront of UK racing.”