Yappy and glorious! First-ever Corgi Derby to honour the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee sees ten of Her Majesty’s favourite breed race – and is won by puppy Georgie
- Watch the moment 10 pups take part in the first ever ‘Corgi Derby’ in Scotland
- The Corgis are the Queen’s favourite breed and they raced to mark her Jubilee
- The winner was Georgie, who even beat a relative of one of the Queen’s Corgis
- Latest Platinum Jubilee news as the Queen celebrates 70 years of service
Ten corgis went head-to-head at Musselburgh Racecourse today in a special contest to honour the Queen’s favourite breed.
The East Lothian track hosted a series of races through the weekend to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee, along with a street party extravaganza today.
The first ever ‘Corgi Derby’ saw an impressive troupe of corgis chaotically run along the track, with a few not entirely grasping the concept.
There was a broad range of competitors including nine-year-old Paddy who, besides being the oldest competitor, is also a distant relative of Her Majesty’s own corgis.
But it was Georgie the Corgi who emerged as an early frontrunner and pipped two other pups at the finish line to take the top prize.
Georgi was able to pip the other competitors to the finish line in a tight race at the first ever Corgi derby at Musselburgh Racecourse
There was some confusion between the Corgis, with three stopping just before the finish line to play with each other
Georgie made her way to the finish line first to win the inaugural Corgi Derby
Winner Georgie with her owner Grant Rumbles at the finish line in the first ever Corgi Derby to mark 70 years of The Queen’s reign, at Musselburgh Racecourse
Georgie was given a cup, a trophy and some snacks for winning the first ever Corgi Derby
There was a broad range of competitors at the first Corgi derby, with ages ranging from one to nine
Rocky, who likes ‘zooming around’, about to cross the finish line at Musselburgh Racecourse
There was a false start by one corgi before the race went ahead, which was an unpredictable event
Musselburgh Racecourse already has a proud Royal heritage, The Queen’s Stand was opened by Princess Anne and visited by Her Majesty The Queen in 2016.
General manager Bill Farnsworth is delighted to be able to honour the Monarch’s 70-year reign across this special weekend.
Before the event he said: ‘The Platinum Jubilee Weekend will be a fabulous weekend of celebrations for everyone as well as thrilling racing, it’s going to be a fun social occasion, on the Sunday we have the Corgi Derby as well as live family entertainment.
‘We are delighted to welcome racing enthusiasts, families, groups of friends to couples and anyone else looking for a fun weekend to celebrate this momentous occasion.’
Spectators were very happy to see the Corgis competing in the unique race
Participants line up at the start for the first ever Corgi Derby
Participants Lottie (left) and Warburton (right) were quite happy playing with each other before finishing the race
Crumble before the start of the much-anticipated derby
The race started competitively before a group of three Corgis broke away from the pack
Participants parade in the paddock before the first ever Corgi Derby
Musselburgh Racecourse commercial manager, Aisling Johnston, said: ‘There is a lot of excitement about the Corgi Derby, which we believe to be the first of its kind in the UK and that will set the tone for what is sure to be a brilliant Jubilee Fair.
‘The weather is forecast to be sunny and warm and what could be a better way to mark the Queen’s Jubilee and her huge love of horseracing by coming to Musselburgh for a packed day of fantastic racing, fun and festivities?’
In her lifetime the Queen has owned more than 30 corgis, her first Corgi she received was a gift on her 18th birthday in 1944.
After the Queen got her own Pembroke Welsh Corgi in 1944, called Susan, the number of them in the country rose steadily.
Most of the Queen’s Corgis have since been related to Susan, like today’s competitor Paddy.
HISTORY OF THE CORGI BREED
The word ‘Corgi’ is Welsh for ‘Dwarf Dog’, and there are two types; the Pembroke, which is the Queen’s breed, and the Cardigan Corgi, a descendent Teckel family of dogs, which also produced the Dachshund
Pembroke Welsh Corgis originated in Pembrokeshire, Wales from the Spitz family of dogs which are characterised by long, thick fur and pointed ears and muzzle
Corgis are a cattle herding breed that can be traced back as far as 1107 AD, thought to have been brought to Wales by Flemish weavers
They are the type of herding dog referred to as ‘heelers’, meaning that they would nip at the heels of cattle to keep them moving
The combination of their low height off the ground and the innate agility of Welsh Corgis would allow them to avoid the hooves of the larger animals
They were officially recognised as a native British breed by The Kennel Club in 1928, but Cardigans and Pembrokes weren’t seen as separate breeds until 1934
Corgis are a herding breed and are referred to as ‘heelers’, meaning that they would nip at the heels of cattle to keep them moving
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