Horses trained in Hawick, Kelso and Selkirk set to contest £15,000 feature race in Borders next week

The eight-year-old bay gelding, carrying owner John Elliot’s colours, is one of 15 provisional entries pencilled in for the £15,000 Ashleybank Investments Reg and Betty Tweedie Handicap Chase over two miles and seven furlongs.

That 3.15pm race will be his fifth at Kelso and his first since placing fourth in February’s four-mile-one-furlong Virgin Bet Eider Handicap Chase at Newcastle, a race he lost by a neck to Anglers Crag, trained by North Yorkshire’s Brian Ellison, in 2024.

Anglers Crag, a ten-year-old black gelding, is also set to make a course debut and vie for a top prize of £7,922 in Monday’s feature race, along with Kelso trainer Sandy Thomson’s Ganapathi and Breakdance Kid, saddled by Selkirk’s Stuart Coltherd.

Both those Borders entries have got jockeys booked already, Ryan Mania for the former and Ross Chapman for the latter.

Just beaten by a short head over two miles and seven furlongs at Musselburgh in February by Cumbrian trainer George Bewley’s Red Happy, Ganapathi, a nine-year-old bay gelding owned by Wilma Duffus, was a close second in the two-mile-four-furlong Racing Post Go North Monet’s Garden Series Final Handicap Chase at Carlisle last month too, with Mania in the saddle on both occasions, losing out to Northumbrian trainer Ann Hamilton’s Hello Judge.

Breakdance Kid, a seven-year-old chestnut gelding also owned by Duffus, went close that day in Carlisle as well, in his case in the three-mile Ladbrokes Go North Red Rum Series Final Handicap Chase, won by Red Happy, and one of his three wins over fences was at Kelso in November, with Coltherd’s son Sam riding both times round.

Monday’s card starts with the Join Racing TV Now Novices’ Hurdle over two miles and two furlongs at 1.45pm and also includes the Weatherbys Hamilton Buccleuch Cup at 4.15pm, a maiden hunters’ chase over nearly three miles.

Camptown licence-holder Gary Rutherford’s Gonnino is one of 15 runners lined up for the former and among the 11 entries for the latter is Lilliesleaf trainer Jackie Stephen’s Tough Out.

The last of the day’s seven races is the two-mile Racing TV Open National Hunt Flat Race at 4.45pm and the 15 horses potentially contesting that one include Hawick trainer Donald Whillans’ Ellistrin Bay.

Gates open at noon and entry is £18 in advance or £23 on the day. For details, go to https://kelso-races.co.uk/events/buccleuch-cup-day-2025/