ABSTRACT

Horseracing is said to be the most widely followed sport in Scotland after football and Scots have made an impact on the turf in Britain as jockeys, trainers, owners and administrators. Within Scotland, however, the profile of the sport is low key. There are few top-class races or competitors at Scottish racecourses and those with ambition in the racing industry have tended to ply their trade in England, from the Dawsons, highly successful nineteenthcentury trainers, to Willie Carson, champion jockey of more recent times (see separate entry). Even the contribution to racing of King James VI of Scotland occurred south of the border; as James I of England, he is credited with discovering the potential of Newmarket, later to be the headquarters of British racing, in 1605.