NEWS

GTG Training new sponsor for the Morebattle Hurdle

Kelso Racecourse are optimistic that their first fixture of the new year will go ahead as planned on Friday the 9th with the first race off at 12.40.  The ground is forecast to be perfect jumping ground and though there is some frost in the ground at the moment the Met Office are confident of milder weather arriving in time to let the meeting go ahead.  The Kelso website amongst other’s will provide regular updates.

GTG Training sponsor the Morebattle Hurdle for the first time and the race has attracted a large and very high quality of entry of 24 headed by Andrea and Graham Wylies high class Arcalis. Peter Monteith is hoping to run both Los Nadis and Marcel with the latter expected to return to chasing soon.  Perhaps the most interesting contender is Malcolm Jefferson’s Issaquah, a mare that has won five of her seven career starts including a victory at Kelso in November.  GTG Training is one of Scotland’s leading training providers and has over 30 year’s experience delivering a huge variety of training courses and is this year for first time offering specialist training courses based at the Racecourse at Kelso.  These courses will include dealing with Challenging Customers, Transport and Driver Training, Health and Safety, Computing and IT packages amongst many others.  

The Buccleuch Arms are sponsoring the 2m Handicap Chase and this promises to be a very competitive contest.  This sponsorship is to promote the new function suite, the Salmon Room, which now provides an unrivalled entertainment facility in the central Borders.  This facility has been done up to a exceptional standard and General Manager, Billy Hamilton said “I am very proud of what we have been able to achieve and I am confident that this facility will open up a whole range of opportunities for weddings, conferences and many other different range of parties for the Hotel”.

Yorkshire father and son combination, Tim and Robert Walford,  have done well in the last couple of years with Blast The Past.  Langholm’s James Ewart is showing signs of getting his string into top gear and he has entered both Super Baby and Orang Outan. 

The very popular and highly respected East Lothian Company, Lyntoun Private Hire, sponsor for the second year and Norman Orde will be on hand to make the presentations, firstly to the best turned out and secondly to the winning connections of what promises to be a fiercely contested 3 mile Handicap Chase.   Alistair Whillans sent out Sammy Spiderman to land a little touch at Ayr last month and Brian Harding is again entrusted for the follow-up.  Tom George has started to recognise the delights of Kelso and Dillay Brook is in his latest Gloucestershire raiding party.  

The opening hurdle race off at 12.40pm has 69 of the day’s mammoth 264 entries and they include Alfie Flits, now co-owned by Russell Hall, who is best known as the owner of globetrotting Collier Hill. Jimmy Moffatt’s Sea Storm and Peter Monteith’s highly-rated Signalman are also entered. 

The British European Breeders Fund are huge supporters of racing across the UK and they sponsor two races of which the first one is a Mares Only Novice Chase over 2 mile 6.5 furlongs.  This is sponsored jointly by the Thoroughbred Breeders Association and the object of this race is to try and improve the stud value of quality Steeple Chasing mares.  In the race Donald McCain had his string in fine form before the cold snap so last month’s Hererford scorer Tastes Like More has to go on the short list. Nicky Richards will also be looking for a big run from Cornerback. 

Sam Sheppard, who for so long guided the EBF so successfully in supporting British Racing will make the trip from his Newmarket Headquarters to do the honours for both races.  The second of which is a National Hunt Novice Hurdle and it is a qualifier for a £70,000 final at Sandown Park which will be run on the 7th March.  In what is sure to be a very competitive event Tim Butt must fancy his chances in this as the Jedburgh handler has ‘jocked up’ a trio comprising Bayfirth, Classic Act and Dee Cee Bolter. Hawick’s Willie Amos has secured the services of Campbell Gillies for Ayr runner-up Lie Forrit. 

The concluding Bumper run at 3.40 is sponsored by SIS, the National firm that are responsible for excellent television coverage that is relayed to Sky Television from just over half the racecourses in the UK.  SIS for a long time had a monopoly for the provision of pictures to betting shops, but now there are two rival services with SIS being leaders in their field.  The Bumper has attracted an entry of fifty three of which only fifteen can go to post.  Plenty of precocious young talent likely to be on display in this including Lucinda Russell’s well thought of newcomer Arran Law. Howard Johnson and Alan Swinbank have stacks of entries while Peter Monteith rates Shahramore highly.  

There is still spaces in the Hamilton Room and reservations are still being taken for the Bistro for anyone requiring lunch or tea, you can ring 01668 280800.