A fine day again, good ground at Ayr tomorrow and as a result just one runner for the team – Beat the Retreat in the 14.13 with Dom on board.

Beat the Retreat

He is a course and distance winner who seems happy on any surface and should have come on for his reappearance at Perth in late September.  Dom knows him well so hopefully they can put up a bold show – 11 run.

My Kiwi Girl cantering this morning with a perfectly still Loch Leven in the background

Three very solid efforts at Carlisle yesterday; Dubai Days may have finished 3rd of 3 but he was only beaten 5l and travelled and jumped smoothly, he is simply too high in the ratings for his age.  Just an Artist was only beaten 4l after a very professional debut over fences, Lake Nagambie put up a bold show in front but the stiff finish took its toll in the end.

That will be it for this week, next up is Carlisle again on Tuesday and Hexham on Wednesday, looks like more changeable weather on the way from next weekend.

A fine day again, high pressure dominating and looks to be in control for another week.  Frustrating times with a yard full of winter jumps horses ready to go but we have to be selective and careful in current conditions.

A generally good day at Kelso yesterday with Burning it Up winning for the first time under strong ride from Bruce, Lester Mail finishing 2nd, Whiskey on Ice 3rd.  Ned Tanner & Eloi du Puy both ran well but found conditions just a bit too fast, Jirko in the same camp but finished tamely – he and Old Comrades (who never really ran a race) both had good explanations.

Burning it Up (right) leads his stable mate Jirko en route to winning at Kelso yesterday

On to Carlisle tomorrow where the ground is hopefully on the easy side of good and we will end up with three runners, Jackson Court had been due to run in the first race but a minor cut he sustained when loose last week at Ayr opened up slightly schooling this morning so we start with Dubai Days in the three runner Veterans Chase at 12.50.  Very much the outsider of three against in form rivals and is probably still a bit high in the weights but he did win off this mark in February and his opponents are in new territory handicap wise.  He’s in good order so not impossible that he could spring a surprise with his customary hood off – Bruce rides.

Dubai Days (Kim)

Just an Artist makes her chasing debut in the Mares Chase at 15.02; this is a bit of a step up for her and the focus will very much be on giving her confidence over the fences – 7 run and Bruce rides.

Just an Artist (right)

Finally Lake Nagambie makes her stable and rules debut in the Mares Bumper at 15.35; she is a smart filly, a little impatient but she made all to win her only start in an Irish point to point prior to coming here via Goffs Spring Sale.  This is a lovely race to start her in and we will all learn plenty tomorrow – 11 run and Bruce rides.

Lake Nagambie – 4yo filly winner of her only start in a point to point

Quiet weather, cool and settled.  Watered ground everywhere, hopefully Kelso have put plenty on and the ground is as advertised – on the soft side of good – or we will end up with a depleted team.

Whiskey on Ice with Sarah, Dom & Zoe

All being well we will kick off with Newcastle winner Whiskey on Ice in the 12.20; he carries a penalty in which looks like a tight novice with four of the five runners very closely matched on previous form.  Whilst he won easily last time it was a muddling sort of race and it is possible he was flattered. Hopefully not in which case he should run well as I feel he has improved; he is well and fresh – Dom rides.

Old Comrades

Old Comrades make his handicap debut in the first division of the 2m 5f hurdle at 12.55; we were pleased with his seasonal reappearance at Carlisle two weeks ago and he ought to improve for the step up in trip tomorrow, main question mark is whether this comes up a little soon after his first start back but he is less exposed than most of the field – Bruce rides and 11 run.

Lester Mail

We run Lester Mail in the second division at 13.30; he is a steadily improving young hurdler who should run well if he can build on his seasonal reappearance at Hexham, he should ultimately be better over further but he seems to like Kelso so this appeared a logical next step – Bruce rides and 11 run.

Burning it Up

A quick break then we have two of the five runners in the staying novice chase at 14.35, Burning it Up (Bruce) and Jirko (Sean).  They may well be the outsiders but Burning it Up seemed to stay the trip at Hexham last time so will be ridden more prominently tomorrow, Jirko unseated early at Ayr last week so is on a bit of a redemption mission, he was a close 3rd in this race last year behind Sir Carnegie who has won another three races since and Wearelongterm with whom we are 16lb better off this time.

Jirko

Ned Tanner runs in the feature handicap “Wishing Well” chase at 15.10; he ran well on reappearance at Perth and has won twice over course and distance off higher ratings.  On paper that gives him a good chance so let’s hope he handles the faster surface and turns up in top form – Sean rides and four run.

Ned Tanner

Finally another course specialist, Eloi du Puy, runs in the last race at 15.45.  He would probably prefer softer ground and may be a little high in the weights to win but he is in very good order so should hopefully run with credit – Bruce rides and 11 run.

Eloi Du Puy

Tremendous to see Hexham featuring on ITV this afternoon; we don’t have as many runners there as I would like but they punch well above their weight in prize money terms, particularly in comparison to  to their Northern neighbours Carlisle and Newcastle.  The latter two being part of the large groups (ARC & Jockey Club) they unashamedly milk “core” racing to fund premier level racing.

I am sure Kelso will be disappointed with the small fields for their chases tomorrow, especially for the feature “Wishing Well” chase.  It is worth noting that this race was run for £30k as a 0-130 in 2019, from 2021 to 2024 it was a 0-125 £20k race.  It is now a higher banded 0-140 but the prize money has been cut to £16k and the field size has gradually fallen, hitting a new low this year.  This should come as no surprise, I feel racing is suffering from “squeezed middle” syndrome at the moment.  There seems to be plenty of people who want a fun horse to run at the core level and those races fill well but at the more aspirational Class 3 & Class 4 level funding has been cut to fund the top level.

Every good sport is about excellence at the top; in most sports the elite level more than funds itself and the benefits trickle down.  In racing the middle and lower levels are being used to fund the top and that is simply wrong; the long term effects of this policy are there for all to see, a shrinking mid division that will ultimately lead to a weaker elite level.  Sorry to be gloomy but it needs addressed urgently – have a great weekend everyone!