Pinkie Park was owned by General Sir William Hope and the Park was used for athletics meetings from the late 1800's.
The first bicycle race at Pinkie Park was at the Musselburgh Horse Show on August 12th 1896. There were two bicycle races, a ‘Bicycle race for Ladies (one mile)' in which there were two starters and a one mile handicap race for ‘Gentlemen' with six starters. The ground was described as heavy and there was a hill on the course.
At the Musselburgh Fair on the Pinkie Grounds Park in August 1898, the Musselburgh Cycling Club ran their one mile championship race, which was won by J Terris.
Pinkie House Park was used by the "Pinkie Hope" Lodge of the Independent Order of Scottish Mechanics for their annual parade and sports - known as the Mechanics Games. These sports started in 1900 and usually included one and two miles cycle handicap races. The Working Men's Institute sports were held on July 12th 1900 and included an open one mile bicycle race and the ‘Victoria Cross Bicycle Race' where riders had to pick up a dummy body and carry it off the field on their bicycle.
The Mechanics Games became an annual event at Pinkie, it was the most popular sports meeting in Musselburgh and was held for over twenty years. The Games usually included open bicycle races over one and two miles. The last bicycle racing at Pinkie Park was probably their meeting on August 5th 1922 at which there was a one mile bicycle handicap race.
Pinkie House was bought by Loretta School in 1951 and Pinkie Playing Fields were developed in 1955 by Midlothian Council for local and county school sporting use.