Prize lolly for Olly to be The Wolf’s prey at Kelso

The Warwickshire trainer has enjoyed a great start to the year with a strike rate of 46 per cent from his first 26 runners of January.

Murphy has three potential runners on the card, including Jetaway Joey in the final race, the national hunt flat race.

But it’s the feature race of the day, the William Hill sponsored two-and-a-half mile handicap hurdle, which is the target for The Wolf.

Among 13 other entries is Lake View Lad, who is warming up for a tilt at the Grand National later in the spring.

Nicky Richards relies on the useful Better Getalong, who won a bumper at Kelso three years ago.

Sandy Thomson, whose Greenlaw stable is in great heart, has entered McGowan’s Pass, a 14-length scorer recently at Ayr.

In the first race on the programme, at 1.15pm, Sandy looks likely to run Sirwilliamwallace. James Ewart has entered two in the novice hurdle – Sao Maxence and Tortuga Bay.

Nick Alexander landed the Racing To Work Handicap Hurdle last year with Landecker, ridden by his daughter Lucy. The Kinneston combination could be represented again with Ryedale Racer.

Nick Alexander, James Ewart and Lucinda Russell are all two-handed in the third race, a two mile handicap chase, where preference is for Russell’s Celtic Flames.

Glenduff, runner-up in the bumper on this card 12 months ago, upset a Colin Tizzard ‘hot-pot’ when winning on his hurdle debut at Carlisle in November for Greystoke trainer Nicky Richards.

Running in the famous colours of Trevor Hemming, Glenduff is an intended runner in the 3.45pm – the two-mile novice hurdle.

The first of seven races gets under way at 1.15pm and the gates open at 11.30am.