Hat-trick of wins at Kelso Racecourse for Kinross trainer Lucinda Russell

The seven-year-old bay gelding, trained by Iain Jardine and ridden by Brian Hughes, finished a length ahead of Northumbrian handler Adam Nicol and near-namesake Hawick jockey Craig Nichol’s 11/8 favourite Wise Eagle in the two-mile Racing TV Club Day Handicap Hurdle at 2.50pm to claim its £7,922 top prize at 9/1.

His two wins in the space of as many weeks, February 1’s in East Lothian with Danny McMenamin riding, were his first since two last February, both also at Musselburgh.

“He’s in pretty decent form at the moment and wind surgery has helped,” said Jardine, formerly of Hawick but based at Carrutherstown, near Dumfries since 2015.

“Brian said he didn’t like jumping out of that sticky ground and he’ll probably go to Go North finals day at Musselburgh next month.”

El Elefante, trained in Perth and Kinross by Lucinda Russell and ridden by Patrick Wadge, was an all-the-way winner of the two-mile-five-furlong Racing’s Best Ratings with Timeform Handicap Chase at 3.20pm.

The seven-year-old chestnut mare, sent off at 4/1, finished two lengths ahead of 15/8 favourite Ned Tanner, trained in Fife by Nick Alexander and with McMenamin in the saddle, to take the top prize of £11,707 offered by the day’s feature race.

“I just love this mare to bits and she’s so game,” said Russell.

“They weren’t getting past her today and we could wait to send her over fences.”

Irish jockey Derek Fox notched up his first win since returning from injury on Myretown, the same Russell-trained horse he was riding when a fall left him with a broken collarbone at Windsor four weeks earlier.

Fox and his eight-year-old bay gelding mount won the two-mile-seven-furlong Every Horse, Every Race, at Timeform.com Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase by over nine lengths at 5/2 to land prize money of £6,601.

Second place in that 3.50pm race went to Dare to Shout, trained in Northumberland by Ann Hamilton and with McMenamin as jockey.

Fox helped Russell rack up a hat-trick of first places in the next race, the 4.20pm Racing TV Profits Returned to Racing Handicap Chase, with 4/7 favourite Primoz, picking up prize money of £7,922.

The seven-year-old bay gelding was one of only two runners contesting that two-mile-one-furlong race, the other being Escapeandevade, ridden by Hughes for Langholm trainer James Ewart.

Gloucestershire father-and-son training partnership Jonjo and AJ O’Neill won the Valentine’s Day meeting’s first two races with Stay If U Want To and We’re Red and Blue respectively, taking top prizes of £4,225 and £4,357.

Benjamin Macey was in the saddle for the opener, the 1.50pm Albert Bartlett Triple Crown Series Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle over two miles and six furlongs, and Jonjo O’Neill Jnr for the second, the two-mile, 2.20pm Johnston Smillie Novices’ Hurdle.

“We came up to get these horses qualified for the finals, so it’s mission accomplished,” said the latter.

“We’re Red And Blue has a high cruising speed and could be one for handicaps now.”

The day’s concluding race, the 4.50pm Racing TV Open Maiden National Hunt Flat Race over two miles, was won by Paul O’Brien on Kiwi Rush for Berkshire trainer Harry Derham, taking its top prize of £2,723.

Kelso’s next meeting is Morebattle Hurdle Day on Saturday, March 1.

Gates open at 11.30am and the first of seven races, offering £330,000 in prize money all together, is off at 1.45pm. Tickets cost £23 in advance or £28 on the day. For details, go to https://kelso-races.co.uk/events/bet365-morebattle-hurdle-day-2025/