12 horses entered for £20,000 ladies’ day feature race at Kelso on Sunday

This year’s two-mile Elliot Henderson Group Handicap Hurdle at 3.58pm is part of a racecard made up of five contests over hurdles and a bumper that will sees the Borders track bring down the curtain on its spring campaign.

Among the entries is Klitschko, trained by North Yorkshire’s Lucinda Hughes, and she’s already booked her three-time champion jockey husband Brian for the mount.

That will be a first Kelso outing for the seven-year-old bay gelding, a winner at Sedgefield in County Durham in March prior to a tenth-placed Scottish debut at Perth the month after.

Cumbrian trainer Tristan Davidson is represented by Rewired, also entered for a race at Uttoxeter in Staffordshire on Sunday.

“He’s gone up 4lb for winning at Hereford earlier this month and is suited to nice, good ground,” said Brampton’s Davidson.

“We’ve still to decide which meeting he runs at but Kelso is obviously a lot closer to home.”

Gloucestershire trainer Fergal O’Brien, winner of the race’s 2023 edition with Castel Gandolfo, has pencilled in Carrigeen Kampala, top-rated among a field of 12 with a British Horseracing Authority mark of 123, and Selkirk’s Stuart Coltherd is lining up Findthetime.

Irish trainer Cian Collins is set to saddle his first Kelso runners, having submitted several entries for the afternoon, including Fiveonefive and Impero in this contest.

Sunday’s action gets under way with the two-mile JA Wilson Contractors Novices’ Hurdle at 2.13pm and it sees Perth and Kinross trainer Lucinda Russell triple-handed in a prospective field of 12 with Bishop Hill, Blazer Two and Green Bonnet.

Coltherd and Kelso’s Sandy Thomson have also got entries in for that one, Champ de Gane and Kow Boy Sivola respectively.

Paul Robson, formerly based near Denholm but now training in Northumberland, is hoping for second win at Kelso this month with Away She Goes in the two-mile-two-furlong Molson Coors Handicap Hurdle at 2.48pm.

The six-year-old bay mare, carrying the colours of Robson’s own racing club, has been raised 7lb after her win at Kelso at the start of the month over two miles. Ed Austin was riding that time round and he’s booked for Sunday too.

Robson’s also got Our Girl Sal – like Away She Goes, a winner at Kelso on Wednesday the 7th – pencilled in for a speedy return, in the three-mile Borders Growers and Distillers Handicap Hurdle at 3.23pm, but if the seven-year-old bay mare is among the runners, it will be with a different jockey as her rider on that occasion, Galashiels’ Ryan Mania, is booked for North Yorkshire trainer Justin Landy’s Express Run.

Also among 17 entries for that one are Thomson’s Jet Patrol, with Lewis Dobb in the saddle, and Lilliesleaf trainer Jackie Stephen’s Clan Chieftain, with Sean Quinlan as jockey.

Admission is £35 in advance or £40 on the day. For details, go to https://kelso-races.co.uk/events/ladies-day/