Gordon Brown – Race Reporter
Gordon has a wealth of experience of racing through his background in the written and broadcast media. His current principle role is reporting and supporting the scene in Scotland on Racing TV and relaying the latest news with Scottish angles.
CALIPSO COLLONGES was a gutsy winner of the feature race at Kelso for Olly Murphy and Fergus Gregory.
The Warwickshire raider, a 13/2 chance, saw off bottom-weight Caboy by four and a quarter lengths in the £20,000 Paxtons’ Borders Direct For Genuine Kverneland Wishing Well Handicap Chase.
“We dropped him back in trip today as he returned from wind surgery and everything just clicked,” said Gregory after his sole ride on the card had given him his second strike at the borders venue.
“He’s just such a game and tough horse and he gives you everything. There is talk of him going to Haydock next for the Tommy Whittle Chase, which we were second in last year.”
The most impressive winner of the day was Donny Boy, carrying the colours of Scottish owner Lynne Maclennan, in the Belhaven Brewery Open National Hunt Flat Race for Nick Alexander and Conor O’Farrell.
A winning point to pointer, he was sent off 7/4 favourite before breezing home by 14-lengths on his Rules debut.
Alexander said: “He came with a tall reputation from the point to point world and he could be an exciting prospect.
“I would say he will go straight over hurdles now and is is a full brother to Ebony Jewel who was pretty useful himself.”
Trail-blazing Breaking The Ice could be back at Kelso over the winter after his fourth win over fences in the three-mile chase.
Trainer George Bewley said: “He’s got so much speed you could run him over two miles. I could see him dropping back to 2m 5f for some of those races here and they would relay suit him.”
The famous J P McManus hoops were sported by Richie McLernon as Brelan D’As took the 2m 1f handicap chase for Middleham trainer Ben Haslam.