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	El Borracho (Good)	15 Sep 2021	3m 59.5s
2m 4f	The Jad Factor (Good)	22 Apr 2025	5m 0.7s
2m 5f 133y	Half Shot (Good)	18 Sep 2024	5m 19.38s
2m 6f 70y	Bill Baxter (Heavy)	29 Dec 2022	6m 15.89s
2m 7f 96y	Grand Mogul (Good)	30 May 2021	5m 46.98s
3m 2f 39y	Raddle And Hum (Good)	02 Oct 2022	6m 30.85s
3m 3f 189y	Mance Rayder (Good)	05 May 2021	7m 16.1s
4m 90y	Grozni (Soft)	07 Dec 2025	8m 48.73s

Distance	Horse (Going)	Date	Winning time
2m 51y	Caithness (Good)	12 Sep 2023	3m 47.02s
2m 2f 25y	Genever Dragon (Good)	14 Sep 2022	4m 13.39s
2m 4f 189y	Darkest Day (Good)	12 Sep 2023	4m 48.3s
2m 6f 151y	Lissen To The Lady (Good)	05 May 2021	5m 35.8s
3m 100y	World Of Fortunes (Good to Soft)	21 Mar 2026	6m 10.71s
3m 1f 170y	Judicial Law (Good)	12 Sep 2023	6m 14.23s

Distance	Horse (Going)	Date	Winning time
2m 51y	Hard As Nails (Good to Firm)	28 May 2023	3m 41.56s

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	60	13	24	£111,774	21.67%	-£25.10
A M Thomson	38	7	14	£64,782	18.42%	£7.00
L Russell & M Scudamore	33	7	14	£59,097	21.21%	£10.38
Dan Skelton	13	7	3	£133,729	53.85%	£11.45
N W Alexander	36	6	15	£74,475	16.67%	-£6.00
W Coltherd	34	5	12	£35,119	14.71%	-£10.88
N G Richards	15	5	5	£68,067	33.33%	£5.35
I Jardine	18	4	11	£23,765	22.22%	£14.00
Mrs A Hamilton	18	3	12	£39,296	16.67%	-£10.38
R Dobbin	14	3	4	£14,209	21.43%	-£2.25

Trainer	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
Miss Lucinda V Russell	101	19	38	£161,402	18.81%	£36.58
N W Alexander	100	8	39	£36,704	8%	-£58.01
L Russell & M Scudamore	49	7	24	£32,907	14.29%	-£23.11
N G Richards	39	7	13	£43,143	17.95%	-£17.89
Ewan Whillans	31	6	7	£160,982	19.35%	£25.75
A M Thomson	64	5	23	£30,086	7.81%	-£51.50
Mrs Dianne Sayer	30	5	11	£33,604	16.67%	-£6.50
A Nicol	24	5	10	£37,976	20.83%	£7.83
J C McConnell	14	5	6	£22,329	35.71%	-£5.77
D W Whillans	22	5	5	£40,166	22.73%	£8.38

Trainer	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
A M Thomson	7	3	1	£28,738	42.86%	£1.88
N G Richards	5	2	3	£5,446	40%	£4.41
S Corbett	4	2	1	£5,446	50%	£17.63
F O'Brien	3	2	1	£20,812	66.67%	£8.40
Miss Lucinda V Russell	13	1	5	£2,723	7.69%	-£11.38
I Jardine	7	1	3	£2,723	14.29%	-£0.50
N W Alexander	6	1	1	£2,723	16.67%	-£3.80
Harry Derham	2	1	1	£2,723	50%	£1.00
S R B Crawford	2	1	1	£2,723	50%	£0.38
D McCain Jnr	3	1	0	£2,723	33.33%	£3.00

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
D R Fox	49	12	20	£99,019	24.49%	-£3.93
B S Hughes	44	9	19	£87,138	20.45%	£23.25
Danny McMenamin	47	8	24	£86,816	17.02%	-£19.40
Sean Quinlan	38	6	20	£62,748	15.79%	-£11.63
Bruce Lynn	27	5	13	£69,194	18.52%	-£3.50
Ryan Mania	24	5	9	£38,113	20.83%	-£4.75
P W Wadge	31	4	14	£32,832	12.9%	-£22.17
Tristan Durrell	7	4	2	£57,467	57.14%	£10.78
Craig Nichol	34	3	17	£36,577	8.82%	-£19.25
Ross Chapman	18	3	7	£23,237	16.67%	-£6.27

Jockey	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
Craig Nichol	58	12	17	£199,828	20.69%	£25.41
Sean Quinlan	67	10	22	£67,188	14.93%	-£9.00
D R Fox	60	10	20	£83,944	16.67%	£7.35
P W Wadge	57	9	19	£65,810	15.79%	£8.30
B S Hughes	80	8	35	£63,146	10%	-£32.89
Danny McMenamin	75	8	27	£42,925	10.67%	-£48.28
Bruce Lynn	75	7	27	£30,103	9.33%	-£36.34
Jamie Hamilton	60	7	22	£41,453	11.67%	£276.58
Ryan Mania	52	7	18	£54,743	13.46%	-£26.75
Joshua Thompson	20	4	5	£16,900	20%	-£3.04

Jockey	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
Danny McMenamin	9	4	4	£18,575	44.44%	£11.91
B S Hughes	11	2	4	£5,446	18.18%	-£2.13
Nathan Moscrop	9	2	3	£5,446	22.22%	£12.63
Ryan Mania	5	2	0	£18,332	40%	£0.38
P W Wadge	8	1	3	£2,723	12.5%	-£5.38
Henry Brooke	4	1	3	£3,268	25%	-£3.75
Bruce Lynn	8	1	1	£2,723	12.5%	-£5.80
Jack Hogan	2	1	1	£5,203	50%	-£0.60
Dylan Johnston	2	1	0	£2,723	50%	£19.00
Abbie McCain	1	1	0	£2,723	100%	£6.00