A PORTOBELLO pooch raced to the finish line at the Musselburgh races last weekend, trained by years of chasing seagulls on the beach.
Juno, a corgi whose owners Alasdair and Frances live in Portobello, raced to the finish line at the Corgi Derby last weekend in just one of many races on the Musselburgh Racecourse Virgin Bet Easter Saturday.
The four-year-old darted into the lead in the nail-biting final moments of the race, beating 2023 winner Rodney.
17 hopeful pups hurtled down the 70 metre track, cheered on by their owners behind the finish line.
Some dogs were seen to steer off course, distracted by the eager crowds, whilst others bumped into each other or simply stopped and turned back to the starting line.
The high-speed hound is allegedly powered by the lamb bagels in her owner Alasdair’s pocket, bought from the Stockbridge Market.
After the race, Juno’s owner Alasdair said: “We didn’t actually prepare that much this year.
“Last year we tried to, we trained for a week or so, and then she came ninth out of 12, but this year we just let her do her thing.
“We let her know that there were some extremely tasty treats behind the finish line and I think that’s what did it.
“But Juno is naturally a bit of a rocket. I think it’s in her blood, maybe.”
Alasdair also confirmed that Juno’s favourite treat is a lamb bagel from the Stockbridge Market on Saunders Street every Sunday, and that her preferred method of training consists of chasing seagulls on Portobello beach.
This seemed to pay off as she was presented with an array of treats and toys by Judy Murray, official race starter, tennis coach, and mother of Andy Murray.
Other races on the day included the £100,000 Queen’s Cup, won by eight-year-old horse Kihavah and Irish jockey P.J. McDonald.
