THE POPULAR horse racing meetings at Perth Racecourse received a £2 million boost yesterday with the official opening of the course’s new grandstand.

Complete with a huge restaurant, the new Nelson Stand was opened during the first meeting of the season by SNP leader and racing enthusiast Alex Salmond.

The investment is part of £13.25 million being spent to improve Scottish racecourses over the next two years.

Furious work was under way earlier this week to have the stand in operation for this week’s race meeting, following more than six months of construction of the impressive structure.

It is designed to be used for a range of events as well as race days, in an effort to vary the type of business coming to the Scone venue.

The grandstand’s facilities include the Galileo restaurant’s dining room overlooking the racecourse and an extra bar and betting hall on the ground floor.

It has been designed by the James Denholm Partnership and can hold over 300 people, 175 of them in the restaurant alone.