Kelso is a left-handed, sharp National Hunt track in the Scottish Borders. The tight turns favour handy, nimble jumpers over long-striding gallopers. Quality has improved in recent years, with some decent prize money on offer for a smaller course.
Course Profile
| Direction | Left-handed |
| Surface | Turf |
| Racing | Hurdle (514), Chase (431), National Hunt Flat (68) |
| Total races (dataset) | 1,013 |
Top Trainers
| Trainer | Runs | Wins | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miss Lucinda V Russell | 698 | 99 | 14.2% |
| N W Alexander | 515 | 56 | 10.9% |
| A M Thomson | 360 | 54 | 15.0% |
| N G Richards | 273 | 47 | 17.2% |
| D McCain Jnr | 300 | 42 | 14.0% |
| Mrs R Dobbin | 252 | 30 | 11.9% |
| W S Coltherd | 255 | 29 | 11.4% |
| Iain Jardine | 190 | 25 | 13.2% |
| Keith Dalgleish | 117 | 22 | 18.8% |
| J P L Ewart | 155 | 22 | 14.2% |
| G T Bewley | 138 | 18 | 13.0% |
| Micky Hammond | 161 | 17 | 10.6% |
| Mrs A Hamilton | 73 | 16 | 21.9% |
| Miss S E Forster | 157 | 15 | 9.6% |
| Fergal O’Brien | 42 | 15 | 35.7% |
Top Jockeys
| Jockey | Runs | Wins | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|
| B S Hughes | 414 | 65 | 15.7% |
| D R Fox | 360 | 54 | 15.0% |
| Craig Nichol | 404 | 52 | 12.9% |
| Sean Quinlan | 348 | 49 | 14.1% |
| Ryan Mania | 234 | 44 | 18.8% |
| B Hughes | 189 | 36 | 19.0% |
| Danny McMenamin | 248 | 30 | 12.1% |
| Bruce Lynn | 183 | 22 | 12.0% |
| Jamie Hamilton | 249 | 21 | 8.4% |
| Henry Brooke | 257 | 20 | 7.8% |
| B P Harding | 108 | 20 | 18.5% |
| Ross Chapman | 186 | 19 | 10.2% |
| Lucy Alexander | 145 | 19 | 13.1% |
| Callum Bewley | 251 | 18 | 7.2% |
| P W Wadge | 118 | 18 | 15.3% |
Favourite Performance
Across 1,083 races in the dataset, the market favourite won 392 times — a strike rate of 36.2%.
That’s above the national average (~32%), so favourites have a decent record here.
Going Distribution
| Going | Races | % |
|---|---|---|
| Good | 379 | 37.4% |
| Good to Soft | 249 | 24.6% |
| Soft | 194 | 19.2% |
| Heavy | 145 | 14.3% |
| Good to Firm | 46 | 4.5% |
The most common going description is Good, accounting for 37.4% of races.
Betting Angles
- Miss Lucinda V Russell leads the trainer table with 99 wins from 698 runs. Volume as much as strike rate, but they clearly target this track.
- Keith Dalgleish has the highest win rate in the top 10 at 18.8% (22 from 117 runs), often sending runners with a good chance.
- B Hughes rides this course well: 19.0% win rate from 189 rides.