Racehorse owner Ray Green hoping for 500th winner at Kelso on Sunday

The Caithness-born 75-year-old has both Gold des Bois and Traprain Law entered for the 3.50pm Ray and Anita Green Chasing 500 Winners Handicap Chase, a class-two contest the former, trained by Kelso’s Sandy Thomson, landed two years ago, and he’s got his fingers crossed that one of them will land its £20,812 top prize.

Green explained: “I have been stuck on 499 winners since the spring and that includes partnerships, point-to-points, jumping, flat and in France as well.

“My first winner was Green Spirit on the flat in 1984 and the second, Brandy Hambro in 1987, was also my first over jumps.

“There are some great memories including Sparky Gayle winning at the Cheltenham Festival, Merigo winning two Scottish Nationals and Life is Life winning at Royal Ascot.

“It was also a memorable day at Kelso in 2022 when Flower of Scotland won the Borders National and we’ve also had plenty of other winners there down through the years.”

The final line-up for that race is likely to include Tommy Oscar, looking to follow up a fourth win for Northumberland permit-holder Ann Hamilton in that race last year.

Great Bavington’s Hamilton won the same race in 2018, 2020 and 2021 with Nuts Well.

Kinross-based Lucinda Russell has won the last two renewals of the two-mile-five-furlong Welcome to Family Day Novices’ Hurdle and she has four entries as she bids to make it three in a row come 1.30pm on Sunday.

There have been surprise winners at 20/1 and 16/1 in two of the last three years in the Remembering Paula Greig Novices’ Hurdle so backers are being advised against ignoring some of the bigger-priced runners in that 2.40pm race over two miles.

Among the 20 provisional entries lined up for a crack at its £4,901 top prize are Thomson’s the Northernlights, Zephlyn, trained in Hawick by Ewan Whillans, and Selkirk trainer Stuart Coltherd’s Will Knott.

Tickets for Sunday’s meeting cost £18 in advance and £23 on the day. For details, go to https://kelso-races.co.uk/