Reigning champion Themaxwecan chases back-to-back Queen’s Cup wins

Musselburgh’s feature race in today’s opening meeting of the Flat season has attracted an ultra-competitive maximum 14-strong field. owner Douglas Livingston will be hoping for two in a row in the £100,000 Betway Queen’s Cup, with last year’s winner of this 1m 6f contest Themaxwecan entered from Mark Johnston’s Middleham Moor yard.

Johnston, now sharing the licence with son Charlie, is also represented in the big race by State Of Bliss and

Soapy Stevens, and is bidding for a hat-trick in the Class 2 feature having also landed the 2019 renewal with Austrian School.

One of the likely market principles is Ian Williams-trained Enemy, who has been running in Group company in Dubai during the winter, while Zero Ten is a first Musselburgh representative on the Flat for Emmet Mullins, who landed the Grand National last Saturday with Noble Yeats.

Sir Rumi was second on his seasonal comeback at Doncaster recently and his Wiltshire trainer Richard Hannon has a 50 per cent strike-rate with his previous six runners at Musselburgh. Three Scottish runscottish ners, all trained by Keith Dalgleish, include Diocletian and Heights of Abraham, with the best potentially being course and distance scorer Alright Sunshine.

The Betway Easter Saturday meeting also features six other quality races on a card which boasts almost £240,000 in prize money.

In the five furlong sprint, the £50,000 Betway Holyrood Handicap (2.39pm), shrewd trainer Mick Appleby has high hopes for Raasel who is bidding to extend a winning sequence of five races including four at Nottingham. Uplawmoor-based Jim Goldie is double-handed with Call Me Ginger and Be Proud, while Dakota Gold’s trainer Michael Dods has made a decent start to the new turf campaign.

In the £30,000 Betway Royal Mile Handicap opener (1.32pm), Mark and Charlie Johnston are triple-handed with Value Theory, Spirit Catcher and Qipao, but having cost 325,000gns as a yearling, Kevin Ryan-trained Baikal catches the eye on his second appearance in handicap company.

The seven furlong Betway Musselburgh Silver Arrow

Handicap (2.04pm) has a 10-strong field and Borders handler Katie Scott will fancy her chances with Gweedore as the Galashiels raider is a three-time winner at Musselburgh.

Leading tennis coach Judy Murray – the mother of Andy andjamiemurrayandastrong supporter of Musselburgh Racecourse - will present The Betway Queen’s Cup to the winning connections.

“It’s been two years since my last visit to Musselburgh Racecourse and I can’t wait to go back," she said. “The Betway Easter Saturday meeting is honestly one of the highlights of the year for me.”

Gates open today at 11.30am.