Kelso Racecourse offering its biggest prize-pot ever at next month's Morebattle Hurdle

Just short of £210,000 is up for grabs altogether at the Borders course on Saturday, March 6, and the revamped bet365 Morebattle Hurdle alone is now worth £75,000.

It’s attracted 49 entries, with the winner being in line for a £100,000 bonus if it goes on to land any race at the Cheltenham Festival in Gloucestershire later in the month.

There are five horses rated 150 or higher, and the top-rated entry on 159 is Cornerstone Lad, trained by Micky Hammond at Middleham in North Yorkshire, winner of the grade-one Fighting Fifth Hurdle south of the border at Newcastle back in 2019.

Esprit Du Large, trained by Evan Williams in Glamorgan in Wales, is a grade-one winner over fences having landed the Henry VIII Novices’ Chase at Sandown in 2019, and there are several other grade-two and grade-three winners among a quality initial entry.

Somerset trainer Paul Nicholls, an 11-time champion, has pencilled in six horses to run, with progressive Christopher Wood the highest rated on 150.

The top-rated of Berkshire trainer Nicky Henderson’s three entries is Call Me Lord at 150, a runner in last year’s Champion Hurdle for his six-time champion trainer.

Brewin’upastorm, on a lofty 155, is a winning chaser for Warwickshire trainer Olly Murphy but is also a smart hurdler as he demonstrated by finishing runner-up in grade-one company at Aintree in Merseyside two years ago.

The sole Irish entry is the Shunter, trained by Emmet Mullins and the winner of the grade-three Unibet Greatwood Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham in November last year.

Six entries are being put forward by Scottish trainers, with Dumfries and Galloway stable boss Iain Jardine’s Voix Du Reve, a grade-one chase winner when with Willie Mullins in County Carlow in Ireland, the highest rated of them on 149.

Bet365 has already formed an ante-post market and the bookmaker has installed six-year-old chestnut gelding Proschema as 8-1 favourite.

Said to be a very smart horse on the flat, he has taken to hurdles well since joining Dan Skelton’s stables in Warwickshire and was the winner of two jumpers’ bumpers at Newcastle recently.

Skelton and his jockey brother Harry are no strangers to the Kelso course despite it being a near-570-mile round trip from their Alcester base, having won two races there just last week.

Their winners were Rockstar Ronnie in the Belhaven Brewery Novices' Hurdle, the first race of eight held on the day, and Eclair D’Ainay in the Racing TV Novices' Limited Handicap Chase, the sixth.

Now taking place a fortnight later than its usual slot in the racing calendar, the Morebattle Hurdle, to be held behind closed doors, is the centrepiece of what will be Kelso’s richest-ever raceday the weekend after next, with £209,000 in prize money on offer.

The national hunt conditions hurdle race, open to horses aged four or older, is run over a distance of two miles and two furlongs, with ten hurdles to be jumped.

The race, previously a handicap, was first run as a conditions contest in 1984 and last went ahead in 2019. Last year’s event predated the first Covid-19 lockdown by a few weeks but had to be called off due to the course being waterlogged.

Three of the last 10 of the races run were won by horses trained by Henderson – We Have a Dream in 2019, Top Notch in 2016 and Simonsig in 2012.

The last Borderer to win was Hawick’s Alistair Whillans in 2007 with Brave Vision.

Racecourse managing director Jonathan Garratt said: “Sponsored for the first time by bet365, we decided to move the Morebattle Hurdle to March, when it will become the feature race of Kelso’s richest-ever raceday, with £209,000 up for grabs.

“The supporting card features the grade-two Premier Hurdle and the Listed Premier Chase, so it will be quite an event.”

For further details, go to www.kelso-races.co.uk