Musselburgh Racecourse is allowing all punters free admission to their next meeting thanks to the generosity of bookmakers and caterers who work at the track.
The Free Family Day Race Meeting on Monday July 7 should attract a bumper crowd with the normal £13 entrance fee waived.
Bookies who attend Musselburgh and catering franchise holders have again underwritten the afternoon meeting following a trial
last year which pulled in a crowd of more than 5000.
Musselburgh Racecourse commercial manager, Sarah Montgomery, said: "We are grateful again to the bookmakers and caterers who are funding this initiative which is a great way of attracting more people to come racing and of introducing people who have never gone racing before to Musselburgh.
"Last year surpassed all our expectations and we had more than 5000 adults and children making full use of the free entry.
Relationship"We are delighted the bookies and caterers are again supporting the meeting and we are grateful for their generosity which will hopefully result in another healthy gate on Monday.
Andrew Collins, Betting Ring Manager at Musselburgh, said the 40 bookmakers who regularly work the course were happy to support the event and this reflected their good relationship with the East Lothian course's management.
Mr Collins said: "It's a generous gesture by the bookmakers and it reflects how they feel about the course and what the management are trying to achieve in improving gates."
Gates open at noon and the first race of seven is off at 2.15pm.
Full report in Musselburgh News, July 4, 2008