Scottish Grand National comes to town

Apr 17 2009

A WHOPPING 4500 Scotch pies, 2500 chickens, 52,000 pints of beer and 2100 bottles of champagne will be consumed when the Scottish Grand National festival comes to Ayr this weekend.

Advance tickets sales are at an all time high and more than 25,000 racegoers are expected to turn up for a weekend of racing and entertainment.

And it looks set to be a baptism of fire for new general manager Geoff Green who’ll be hosting the event for the first time since joining the team at Ayr Racecourse.

Geoff said: “Preparation is the key and we have left no stone unturned in a bid to ensure everything runs smoothly. I am looking forward greatly to the weekend and am surrounded by a great management team who have a great deal of experience between them.

“We are expecting record crowds over the two days and hopefully the weather will hold up.”

And executive chef Duncan McKay is looking forward to his first national in charge of the kitchens.

He added: “I am passionate about my food and whether I’m preparing a meal for four or catering for 4000 I put in the same painstaking preparation.”

More than 70 bars and restaurants will be open on the course.

And in addition to the 15 great races over the weekend, there is some fantastic entertainment, featuring a concert from the Saw Doctors after racing in the Ayrshire suite on Friday and there will be appearances from Reloaded in the Horseshoe Bar on Friday and Saturday and Waterfront in the Ayrshire Suite on Saturday.

And the message for men attending this weekend’s Coral Scottish Grand National meeting is to dress up and look their best.

For Slater Menswear are putting up a fabulous £300 prize for the Best Dressed Man on Saturday and judges will be out in force to pick the winner.

The winner will be announced during the afternoon.

For more information on the weekend log on to www.ayr-racecourse.co.uk or call 0870 850 566.