A fine spring day after a damp start, ground everywhere will start to dry up this week if the forecast is right. An excellent day at Kelso on Saturday, great crowd and great racing. Of our runners Just an Artist ran too free on the ground when taken on up front so finished very tired, Scarlet Jet ran an excellent race to be 2nd proving worthy of his handicap mark.
Lucy and Kit doing the presentation to the champion jockey aft the Cyril Alexander Bet 365 Memorial Chase
On to Newcastle tomorrow where the ground is good to soft and we have three runners starting with Old Comrades in the 15.05; he is taking time to come to hand but seems in better form now and should appreciate the better ground if it isn’t too tacky – a little step forward on last time will suffice, Bruce rides and 13 run.
Old Comrades
We are then double handed in the 15.35 with Whiskey on Ice (Dom) and Better be Definite (Bruce), either of which would have an excellent chance. Not ideal running them against each other but we need to look through the prism of each horse as an individual and it feels the right race for them both.
Whiskey on Ice (left)
Whiskey was only just beaten at Musselburgh last time; this has been the plan since and he runs off the same mark tomorrow with the further assistance of Dom’s 10lb claim, the galloping track and ground should suit well. Better be Definite won in great style last time, albeit left clear at the last and put up 7lb to a career high mark; that shouldn’t be beyond him if this doesn’t come too soon, we’ve always thought he’d prefer a sounder surface than the extreme conditions he faced last time. 9 run.
Better be Definite