Gold des Bois, an eight-year-old chestnut gelding owned by East Lothian’s Ray Green and trained by Jardine in Carrutherstown, near Dumfries, won the £40,000 feature race at a meeting billed as a family day and attracting a turnout just short of 2,500.
The 6/4 favourite, with Conor O’Farrell in the saddle, beat 15/8 second favourite Malystic, one of three other finishers, by a length and a quarter in the 3.12pm NSPCC School Service Simply Ned Handicap Chase over 2m 1f to win its £20,812 top prize.
Green, of Haddington, said: “We set out to win this after he was second last year.
“He was given a lovely ride by Conor and everything has just fallen into place and gone to plan perfectly.”
Perth and Kinross trainer Lucinda Russell hit the £4,901 jackpot with newcomer Serious Operator in the 3.45pm Scottish Racing Academy Novices’ Hurdle.
Backed at 5/2, Derek Fox steered the point-to-pointer, a five-year-old bay gelding, home just over a length ahead of odds-on favourite Mortlach, followed by two other finishers out of a field of seven.
Russell said: “He was one of the top-rated pointers and came with the type of pedigree we are always looking for. He’s from a family of staying hurdlers and chasers.”
The Vollan, an eight-year-old bay gelding trained by Leicestershire’s Laura Morgan and ridden by Brian Hughes, gained his fourth win over fences by getting the better of Russell and Fox’s Haute Estime, the only other finisher out of three runners, in the 2.35pm Racing TV For Free Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase, picking up its £7,407 top prize.
The first of the day’s seven races, the 1.25pm Welcome to Family Day Handicap Hurdle, was won by George and Jonathon Bewley’s Well Educated, a six-year-old chestnut gelding trained in Cumbria.
Evita Du Mesnil, trained at Lindean by Katie Scott and ridden by Kevin Brogan was runner-up in that race and Hawick trainer Ewan Whillans’ Scots Poet, with Craig Nichol riding, was sixth out of eight.
Scott also had a fourth-placed finisher in the closing 4.55pm Start Your Racing TV Free Trial Now Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle, That’s Your Lottie, ridden by Emma Smith-Chaston.
Cumbrian trainer Maurice Barnes claimed victory in the 2pm William Hill Bookmakers Novices’ Hurdle, with Balkalin, ridden by Aaron Anderson.
Spittal-on-Rule trainer Paul Robson’s Kauto of Gold finished fifth out of six in that one, with Callum Bewley riding.
Course managing director Jonathan Garratt was pleased by Sunday’s crowd, saying: “We were delighted by the turnout, including many more children than normal as a result of our family day theme, and they enjoyed some fine autumn weather.
“The quality of the racing was high, although we’ll be hoping field sizes will grow from here as the dry summer meant there were fewer horses ready to run last week than would usually be the case for the time of year.”
Kelso’s next meeting is on Saturday, October 22, and it will feature the £40,000 Edinburgh Gin Handicap Steeplechase.
There’ll be seven races starting at 1.40pm, with gates opening at 11.30am..
Tickets cost £21 in advance or £25 on the day. For details, go to https://www.kelso-races.co.uk/
1. Kelso Races
Well Educated won the first race run at Kelso on Sunday Photo: Bill McBurnie
4. Kelso Races
Rachael and Rebecca Macauley with Rachel Martin, from Kelso and Berwick, at Sunday's races Photo: Bill McBurnie