28th May 2009 - Maximum horsepower as quality produce and top cars go to the races

Hamilton Park Racecourse is geeing up to celebrate the finest local foods this Friday (29 May) with Scottish Farmers' Market Day, before burning some rubber with Hamilton Park Motorshow Day on Thursday (4 June).

Traders from the Lanarkshire Farmers Market will be at the races all day on Scottish Farmers' Market Day boasting an array of high quality local produce. 

Amongst the treats in store for racegoers to sample will be French bread, a chocolate fountain, self reared and butchered beef, lamb and pork, smoked fish, cheddar cheese, eastern food, home-made soup and hand-made confectionary. There will also be a refrigerated van on site so that punters can have their purchases stored until they are ready to go home.

Three-times World Snooker champion John Higgins will be the special guest of honour where the racecourse will celebrate the achievements of local hero Higgins by naming a race, The John Higgins Wizard of Wishaw Maiden Stakes, in his honour.

For Hamilton Park Motorshow Day, the racecourse will be transformed into a modern car showroom with custom modified cars and the latest makes and models from the likes of Jaguar, Bentley, BMW, Suzuki, Land Rover and MINI, taking pride of place around the course. 

Vivien Kyles, chief executive at Hamilton Park, said: "Over the next week there is so much exciting action at Hamilton Park giving racegoers more for their money and a great day at the races to boot. We are delighted to be welcoming John Higgins as our guest of honour at Scottish Farmers' Market Day, and with the best farming produce in all of Lanarkshire coming to the racecourse the seeds are sown for a great day. 

"We hope everyone is looking forward to celebrating their winnings with an award winning brew from Strathaven Ales or some of the finest ice-cream from Thorntonhall Farmhouse. 

"People will have the chance to sit in the latest cars on Motorshow Day thanks to Park's of Hamilton, which has provided the majority of the excellent machines on show. This shows our commitment to making Hamilton Park a racecourse with a difference."

At Scottish Farmers' Market Day and Hamilton Park Motorshow Day the gates open at 12.10pm.  Tickets for the meeting and for the rest of the racing season are available through the Hamilton Park website, www.hamilton-park.co.uk, or by telephoning the racecourse on 01698 283806.

The full seven-race card for Scottish Farmers' Market Day is:

2.10 The Book Now For Cash For Kids Night Maiden Auction

2.45 The Weatherbys Bloodstock Insurance Handicap Stakes

3.20 The Neilsland and Earnock Claiming Stakes

3.55 The Weatherbys Bank Handicap Stakes

4.30 The John Higgins Wizard of Wishaw Maiden Stakes

5.05 The Hamilton-park.co.uk Handicap Stakes

5.35 The J.S. Montgomery Amateur Riders' Handicap Stakes

The full seven-race card for Hamilton Park Motorshow Day is:

2.10 The Cash for Kids Racenight Maiden Auction Stakes

2.40 The Hamilton-park.co.uk Claiming Stakes

3.10 The Frank Flynn & Co Accountants Handicap Stakes

3.40 The Prestige Scotland Handicap Stakes

4.10 The Sam Collingwood-Cameron Handicap Stakes

4.40 The Sodexo Stop Hunger Charity Handicap Stakes

5.10 The TurfTV Handicap Stakes