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.
A super-competitive Kelso card, carrying over £280,000 in prize money, forms the middle-leg of the Racing Post Go North Finals weekend.
The three-day extravaganza kicked off at Musselburgh yesterday and concludes at Carlisle tomorrow.
Holding centre stage at Kelso is the £98,370 Betwright Herring Queen Series Final Mares’ Novices’ Handicap Hurdle, a race won for two of the last three years by Fergal O’Brien.
The Gloucestershire trainer struck in 2023 with Bonttay and last year with Leloopa as well as going close in the £50,000 version in 2024 when Politacus was only pipped into second place by half a a length by Stuart Crawford-trained Lily Du Berlais – it was a renewal rescheduled in early May after its initial slot was abandoned.
With O’Brien not represented this year – his intended runner Eastern Shores wasn’t rated high enough to make the cut in a final maximum line-up of 16 – it is Nicky Henderson that is responsible for top-weight and likely hot favourite Khrisma.
Henderson, who landed the inaugural running in 2022 with another market leader, Theatre Glory, has already seen his J P McManus-owned mare score twice this term at Uttoxeter and Market Rasen.
Henderson is also represented by Diamonds Galore, who was a close second when odds on for her handicap bow at Ludlow last month.
Dan Skelton is currently running away with the jump trainers’ championship title race and he is also double-handed with Belle Le Grand and First Candidate ridden by Liam Harrison and Tristan Durrell respectively.
Paul Nicholls, with whom Skelton learned his trade, saddles handicap debutant Beauty In The Park, a comfortable winner at Taunton last month.
The sole Scottish runner is Stuart Coltherd-trained Changemyluck, a gallant runner-up at a big price in a course and distance qualifier for this final exactly three weeks ago.
Judicial Deference bids to extend his winning sequence to four-in-a-row in the Betwright Handicap Hurdle for the Go North Cab On Target Series Final.
Jointly trained in Cheshire by Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero, he has been raised a total of 10lbs for wins at Musselburgh, Haydock and Kelso.
Danny McMenamin has been booked for the ride on Glen Road by Sue Smith and Joe Parkinson in the Betwright Novices’ Handicap Chase for the Go North Forgive ‘N Forget Series Final.
The West Yorkshire raider’s only previous visit to Kelso yielded a success over hurdles in December last year.
On day one of the Go North Finals at Musselburgh Donald Whillans and Sandy Thomson were on the mark with Bollin Matilda and Sanilam respectively.
The former, owned and bred by the trainer’s son Callum, took the Brindisi Breeze Handicap Hurdle while the latter shouldered top-weight to victory in the Night Nurse Handicap Hurdle.
He has been raised 7lbs for that success and looks the one to beat in the Chas Handicap Hurdle for Nicky Richards and Danny McMenamin.