Kelso Course Guide

The Scottish Borders track hosts racing throughout the winter and is one of the most charming jumps tracks in Britain, staging good quality racing throughout the season despite being in a relatively remote location.

The track’s most valuable meeting is in late February, where feature races include the Premier Kelso Hurdle, a Grade 2 race over 2m 2f and the Premier Chase, a listed race run just short of three miles and the Morebattle Hurdle, a conditions race staged in mid-February which features Simonsig and Peddlers Cross on its list of previous winners.

Jumps Racing

Left handed, generally flat, with the hurdles course separate to the chase one and around a furlong shorter in length. The position of the final obstacle on both tracks was placed closer to the winning post from October 2012, negating the formerly 2f run to the line, ensuring there is less emphasis on stamina than previously. It's true to say that conditions can get gruelling in mid-winter, but on anything other than soft/heavy ground it's a track which is essentially sharp in character. The chase course has one of the highest casualty rates in the country.

Kelso is a course which puts a premium on stamina. It certainly takes a fair bit of getting and, if you think you’re nearly home when you get to the final obstacle, you’re kidding yourself. They’ve altered the layout recently, making the run-in on the chase track shorter, but that doesn’t mean the shape of a race can’t change dramatically in the closing stages. The hurdles course is different, with longer gaps between jumps, but still demanding. It’s a stiff course, for both disciplines, but a beautifully fair one.

View from the saddle: Mick Fitzgerald

Kelso Top Times
Last 5 years

Chase
Hurdle
National Hunt Flat

Distance	Horse (Going)	Date	Winning time
2m 1f 14y	Simply Ned (Good to Firm)	04 Oct 2015	3m 57s
2m 5f 133y	Dimple (Good)	13 Jan 2019	5m 20.8s
2m 6f 70y	Cultram Abbey (Good to Soft)	09 Dec 2018	5m 40s
2m 7f 110y	Leanna Ban (Good)	24 May 2015	5m 42.4s
3m 2f	Cave Hunter (Good)	24 May 2015	6m 30.4s
3m 3f 189y	The Wicket Chicken (Good)	08 May 2019	7m 23.1s
4m 90y	Harry The Viking (Good to Soft)	09 Dec 2018	8m 34.1s

Distance	Horse (Going)	Date	Winning time
2m 51y	Makethedifference (Good to Firm)	16 Sep 2015	3m 41.1s
2m 2f 25y	Italian Riviera (Good to Firm)	02 Oct 2016	4m 12.8s
2m 4f 189y	Go Another One (Good to Firm)	19 Sep 2018	4m 48.9s
2m 6f 151y	Notnow Seamus (Good)	10 May 2017	3m 52.2s
3m 1f 170y	Tawseef (Good)	11 Nov 2017	6m 27.3s
3m 3f	Milansbar (Good to Soft)	21 Mar 2015	6m 26.2s

Distance	Horse (Going)	Date	Winning time
2m 51y	Meet The Legend (Good to Firm)	16 Sep 2015	3m 33.1s

Kelso Top Trainers
Last 3 years (ordered by number of winners)

Chase
Hurdle
National Hunt Flat

Trainer	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
Miss Lucinda V Russell	52	8	24	£62,947	15.38%	-£24.72
N G Richards	36	6	23	£62,618	16.67%	£7.35
N W Alexander	34	6	14	£37,527	17.65%	£2.08
A M Thomson	27	6	11	£107,413	22.22%	£14.37
W Coltherd	25	5	14	£34,563	20%	£21.50
D McCain Jnr	27	5	11	£25,798	18.52%	-£7.63
P F Nicholls	11	4	5	£52,535	36.36%	-£2.45
Miss S E Forster	16	3	12	£20,663	18.75%	£0.33
J P L Ewart	19	3	11	£29,025	15.79%	£5.25
Micky Hammond	31	3	9	£16,181	9.68%	-£16.67

Trainer	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
Miss Lucinda V Russell	89	12	32	£61,798	13.48%	-£15.71
D McCain Jnr	64	9	31	£43,325	14.06%	-£18.58
N W Alexander	69	9	23	£42,433	13.04%	-£3.94
N G Richards	34	9	13	£31,906	26.47%	£2.80
K Dalgleish	31	9	10	£60,023	29.03%	£28.26
Mrs H O Graham	28	6	12	£32,166	21.43%	-£3.83
J M Jefferson	18	6	7	£50,882	33.33%	£3.61
Mrs R Dobbin	47	5	13	£21,119	10.64%	-£32.06
Tim Vaughan	7	5	2	£19,170	71.43%	£8.98
A M Thomson	37	3	15	£10,616	8.11%	£37.75

Trainer	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
N G Richards	10	2	7	£9,444	20%	-£5.50
I Jardine	7	2	4	£5,523	28.57%	£3.25
Micky Hammond	5	2	1	£4,873	40%	£4.25
Miss Lucinda V Russell	10	1	5	£2,274	10%	-£7.67
J P L Ewart	10	1	3	£2,599	10%	£13.00
Mrs Corbett	6	1	3	£3,249	16.67%	-£2.50
D W Whillans	5	1	3	£2,274	20%	£2.00
D McCain Jnr	3	1	1	£2,274	33.33%	-£0.80
J J Quinn	2	1	0	£2,924	50%	£0.25
Jonjo O'Neill	1	1	0	£2,924	100%	£2.50

Kelso Top Jockeys
Last 3 years (ordered by number of winners)

Chase
Hurdle
National Hunt Flat

Jockey	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
B S Hughes	83	16	32	£142,341	19.28%	-£17.22
Sean Quinlan	32	8	14	£62,473	25%	£0.23
Danny Cook	26	8	12	£92,478	30.77%	£23.58
D R Fox	43	7	25	£57,034	16.28%	-£10.97
Ross Chapman	23	5	4	£38,523	21.74%	£6.75
Craig Nichol	28	4	16	£34,959	14.29%	£2.25
Callum Bewley	25	4	11	£55,353	16%	£6.50
Sam Twiston-Davies	9	4	4	£35,935	44.44%	-£1.06
S Bowen	9	4	2	£44,477	44.44%	-£0.02
Jamie Hamilton	27	3	13	£16,374	11.11%	-£11.67

Jockey	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
B S Hughes	95	21	42	£142,607	22.11%	-£6.49
Callum Bewley	54	9	25	£55,994	16.67%	£11.67
Craig Nichol	46	7	14	£27,292	15.22%	-£22.76
Lucy Alexander	45	7	14	£36,643	15.56%	£14.56
Blair Campbell	31	7	5	£42,108	22.58%	£11.54
R D Day	25	3	11	£21,715	12%	-£6.00
Jamie Hamilton	36	3	8	£9,812	8.33%	-£13.50
B P Harding	14	3	5	£10,397	21.43%	-£8.08
R Johnson	8	3	5	£25,147	37.5%	£0.00
Miss A McCain	7	3	2	£14,084	42.86%	£4.50

Jockey	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
B S Hughes	15	2	9	£5,198	13.33%	-£4.80
Ross Chapman	8	2	2	£5,523	25%	£2.25
R D Day	5	2	2	£9,444	40%	-£0.50
Tabitha Worsley	2	2	0	£10,431	100%	£16.50
Callum Whillans	6	1	3	£2,274	16.67%	£1.00
D R Fox	6	1	2	£2,274	16.67%	-£1.67
James Corbett	4	1	2	£3,249	25%	-£0.50
Rachel McDonald	3	1	1	£2,599	33.33%	£23.00
G Lee	2	1	1	£2,924	50%	£1.25
R Johnson	2	1	1	£1,949	50%	£4.00