On your barks! Corgis go head-to-head in 70-metre dash to celebrate dog breed beloved by Queen Elizabeth II

Published: 16:18, 4 April 2026 | Updated: 16:24, 4 April 2026 A New Zealand-born Corgi has won the fifth edition of a race originally held to celebrate the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee. Since 2022 corgis, a breed beloved by Queen Elizabeth II, have raced in a 70-metre dash held in Musselburgh, Scotland. This year Islay - owned by Carolyne Ricardo - took home the fifth 'Corgi Derby' trophy after beating off the competition of 14 others. More than 50 dogs had entered so a ballot was held to decide the participants, which included former champions Georgie Rumbles and Rodney, winners in 2022 and 2023 respectively. Ever-present contenders Toffee and Pippin maintained their record of having competed in every race so far. Islay also beat last year's winner Juno, whose training included chasing seagulls near Portobello Beach, according to the race organisers. Other Flat racing on the day included the Scottish Spring Cup, the Queen's Cup and the introduction of the new Goliath Cup, formerly the Further Flight Stakes at Nottingham. Aisling Johnson, head of marketing at Musselburgh Racecourse, said the Corgi Derby had become 'something of a runaway hit' which began as 'a bit of fun' but had 'grown into a real highlight' of the weekend. Corgis raced in the fifth Derby held at Musselburgh Racecourse, originally to mark the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee in 2022 The corgis posed with their owners before the race began, each wearing a covering marked with a number Some 15 corgis took part but around 50 applied, so a ballot was held to decide the final lineup The dogs paraded with their owners in the paddock before the race began Islay, originally from New Zealand, paraded with owner Carolyne Ricardo, who sported a 'Run fast, Nap hard' t-shirt The race was hard-fought, with the corgis battling to reach the finish line The field of 15 dogs were watched closly by their owners from the start line Islay crossed the finish line before the rest to pick up her first Corgi Derby title Posing with her trophy, Islay was celebrated at Musselburgh Racecourse Islay's owner joined her as they picked up the trophy and a hamper of prizes The victorious corgi looked triumphant as she attended the prize-giving The Derby's programme detailed the dogs in the field for spectators Islay was paraded for the media after her win, even getting the chance to speak into an Edinburgh Reporter microphone The victorious corgi licked her lips as she savoured the attention in East Lothian No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.