Scotland’s annual Corgi Derby has a new champion after this year’s race took place on Easter Saturday.
Four-year-old Juno beat 2023 champion Rodney with an impressive sprint to finish off the race, while Daisy took third place. However, all of the pups who took part deserve to share some of the best dog treats together.
The race was held at Musselburgh Racecourse in Scotland, and the 16 entrants had to race 230 feet, or a third of a furlong. It was officially started by tennis coach Judy Murray, the mother of professional players Jamie and Andy.
The Corgi Derby has been a popular Easter fixture at the racecourse since the inaugural event in 2022, with one entrant this year, Chester Barkington, coming from almost 200 miles away in Yorkshire.
Juno’s owners revealed that her training included chasing the seagulls on Edinburgh’s Portobello Beach, while the chance of getting a treat may have encouraged her along, too. Frances Brandon and Alasdair Tew said that she came ninth out of 12 last year, with Tew explaining, via BBC News: “We trained her for this last year but this year we just resorted to just letting her chasing things, particularly seagulls on Porty Beach and that has paid off."
He added: "Juno is always ready for treats – that is probably why she won. We would love to come back next year."
Murray presented Juno with her winnings, which included plenty of dog toys and treats, and she said that it was the second time she’d been the official starter, explaining: “Some of them will run straight, some of them will not start at all, some of them will go off on a tangent or bite each other. It's absolute carnage, but it's great fun because it's so unusual.”
Aisling Johnston, head of marketing at Musselburgh Racecourse, added: “It was an extremely competitive race and a well-deserved victory by lovely Juno but congratulations to all owners and their corgis who took part."
The race was first launched for Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, with the late monarch famously being a Corgi fan – they are the most famous of the Royal Family’s dogs.
She owned at least one Corgi or Dorgi – a Dachshund and Corgi mix – at all times from 1933, and upon her death in September 2022, her remaining dogs, Muick and Sandy, were adopted by her son Prince Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah, Duchess of York.
Queen Camilla, meanwhile, shared earlier this year that she adopted a new rescue puppy alongside her husband, King Charles III. She adopted Moley from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, where she is a patron.
