There is a story that Scottish bred horses in the early 17th Century were speedier than their English counterparts due to ancestors that had escaped, to the Ayrshire shore, from shipwrecked remnants of the Spanish Armada…

If falling off horses and living with a degree of back pain can be considered part of anyone’s life-dream, then it’s reassuring to know that horseracing remains a sport which is capable of delivering fairytale endings…

Some people dress to express their own sense of individuality, some to boost confidence, others to evoke a mood – such as formality or celebration. Most mornings I simply reach for whatever’s nearest and likely to keep me warm…

I’ve received some accolades in my lifetime: a Modern Pentathlon badge in 1982, cross-country team colours in 1987, and a certificate for running the London Marathon in 1996, but not once have I been given a sticker for bravery in the face of a dentist…

Some days I wish I could be 18 years old again: drinking pints of Harvey’s Nut Brown Ale, listening to The Who’s “My Generation”, and dancing like I wasn’t a dad…

The choc-ices in the freezer compartment of the office fridge have a “best before” date of October, 2025. But what can I say? Summer has arrived in the Scottish Borders this week, and it mightn’t last longer than a day or two, so it’s a case of raiding the ice-tray while the sun shines…

Holding a handy position throughout, Cracking Rhapsody stayed on up the famous Cheltenham Hill under Craig Nichol to claim fourth place in the County Hurdle at 50/1, a price that reflected the strength of the opposition – most of which was behind him…

On Buccleuch Cup Day we shall be celebrating the valorous life of Adam Scott, a north-country soldier and sportsman whose dramatic story, woven like a golden thread through the rich heritage of the northern racing scene, ended in a tragic fall at Kelso…

Second to Grey Dawning in the bet365 Premier Steeplechase last year, Iroko will be the only runner in this year’s Grand National to have set foot on the track at Kelso…

It’s Easter weekend and the talk on the radio is all chocolate eggs, daffodil’s, and lambs gamboling in the sunshine…