On Monday this week I thought I might take a quick trip overseas. Although I didn’t so much travel over the water, as part the waves…

If Amhran Na Bhfiann wins at Epsom on Saturday the Aidan O’Brien trained colt will become the oldest Derby winner since Running Rein in 1844… 

Kelso Racecourse has been pivotal to the Borders community since 1822 when the foundation stone was laid for a new grandstand at Berrymoss.

The racecourse has survived two World Wars, forty one different Prime Ministers (twelve of them serving at least two terms) and several deadly pandemics…

School’s out for Summer!

Scottish pupils may not be expected to return to the classroom until 11th August, but somehow I managed to end up back at school this week.

Alice was beginning to get very tired sitting on the bank and having nothing to do but listen to an angry Garry Richardson harangue the representative from Ascot Racecourse on Radio 4’s Today Programme. “What is the actual point in running Royal Ascot behind closed doors? What is the point?”

So in my dream I discovered that I had died and was standing in the queue for the afterlife, where souls were being divided into two groups…

We’ve enjoyed a beautiful Summer here in the Scottish Borders. The laws of probability suggest that it can’t last – so if you’re part of the 99.83% of the UK population that hasn’t been locked down here for the past couple of months, I’m sorry that you missed it…

At Kelso Racecourse we love our customers, but we don’t ‘luurve’ our customers.

Which is why we’re not planning to follow the lead of FC Seoul, the South Korean football team, who positioned sex dolls in the stands to make up for the lack of a crowd while playing behind closed doors.

The difference between the two nations is actually very small: both are advising the public to be cautious and to stay at home where possible; both are planning to review restrictions on the movement of people from 28th May; both (I sense) would like to be in a position to allow more businesses to open in early June.

Buried within the guidelines is a line that says “Alcohol is not permitted”.

I suppose there has to be a first time for everything, but it occurred to me that such an instruction might just be incompatible with racing at Kelso.