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
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	50	9	26	£68,340	18%	-£19.84
A M Thomson	32	7	16	£111,780	21.88%	£35.37
D McCain Jnr	31	6	13	£29,697	19.35%	-£8.88
N G Richards	34	5	20	£58,590	14.71%	-£10.65
N W Alexander	37	4	19	£25,797	10.81%	-£12.92
Micky Hammond	33	4	10	£20,080	12.12%	-£17.67
C Grant	16	4	6	£25,601	25%	-£0.62
P F Nicholls	12	4	6	£54,212	33.33%	-£4.54
Miss S E Forster	12	4	6	£22,872	33.33%	£3.96
Mrs H O Graham	20	3	9	£23,069	15%	-£3.17

Trainer	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
Miss Lucinda V Russell	86	10	28	£50,296	11.63%	-£20.71
N G Richards	41	10	16	£35,805	24.39%	£5.80
N W Alexander	70	9	20	£36,129	12.86%	£1.58
D McCain Jnr	65	8	30	£43,236	12.31%	-£26.75
K Dalgleish	23	8	6	£52,810	34.78%	£34.26
J M Jefferson	18	6	7	£50,882	33.33%	£3.61
Mrs R Dobbin	52	5	16	£21,119	9.62%	-£37.06
Mrs H O Graham	25	5	11	£20,470	20%	-£3.33
Tim Vaughan	10	5	5	£18,520	50%	£5.71
A M Thomson	36	4	16	£14,515	11.11%	£48.75

Trainer	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
I Jardine	7	3	4	£7,472	42.86%	£7.75
N G Richards	7	2	4	£9,444	28.57%	-£2.50
J J Quinn	3	2	0	£4,548	66.67%	£2.50
Miss Lucinda V Russell	8	1	4	£2,274	12.5%	-£6.67
Mrs Corbett	7	1	3	£3,249	14.29%	-£3.50
D W Whillans	5	1	3	£2,274	20%	£2.00
D McCain Jnr	4	1	3	£2,274	25%	-£1.80
C Grant	6	1	2	£2,599	16.67%	-£3.75
J M Jefferson	5	1	2	£2,599	20%	-£1.50
J P L Ewart	6	1	1	£2,599	16.67%	£18.00

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	75	14	29	£133,048	18.67%	-£13.97
D R Fox	49	9	29	£69,965	18.37%	-£2.22
Sean Quinlan	29	9	10	£70,271	31.03%	£6.48
Danny Cook	25	8	10	£92,478	32%	£24.58
Jamie Hamilton	29	5	11	£26,121	17.24%	-£9.04
Ross Chapman	18	5	2	£38,523	27.78%	£11.75
Craig Nichol	30	4	14	£38,468	13.33%	-£3.25
Rachel McDonald	14	3	9	£60,711	21.43%	£35.00
Thomas Dowson	18	3	8	£21,769	16.67%	£1.83
W T Kennedy	13	3	6	£14,946	23.08%	£1.25

Jockey	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
B S Hughes	83	17	33	£124,087	20.48%	-£10.82
Callum Bewley	49	9	21	£55,994	18.37%	£16.67
Craig Nichol	58	7	20	£27,292	12.07%	-£34.76
Lucy Alexander	43	7	10	£33,978	16.28%	£17.21
Blair Campbell	26	7	2	£39,119	26.92%	£23.04
Ryan Day	27	4	11	£25,614	14.81%	£4.00
B P Harding	24	4	11	£12,996	16.67%	-£16.83
W T Kennedy	24	3	14	£13,646	12.5%	-£5.50
Henry Brooke	34	3	10	£16,245	8.82%	-£19.50
Jamie Hamilton	32	3	6	£9,812	9.38%	-£9.50

Jockey	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
Ross Chapman	7	3	2	£7,472	42.86%	£7.75
Ryan Day	6	2	1	£9,444	33.33%	-£1.50
R Johnson	3	2	1	£3,573	66.67%	£6.25
B S Hughes	11	1	8	£2,274	9.09%	-£8.80
Callum Whillans	6	1	3	£2,274	16.67%	£1.00
James Corbett	6	1	3	£3,249	16.67%	-£2.50
D R Fox	5	1	2	£2,274	20%	-£1.67
Jamie Hamilton	4	1	1	£2,599	25%	-£1.50
Rachel McDonald	2	1	1	£2,599	50%	£24.00
Nico de Boinville	2	1	1	£2,599	50%	£4.50