Running a racecourse is really easy. As a visiting contractor said to me this week, when observing my apprehension ahead of Saturday’s valuable bet365 Morebattle Hurdle card, “You’ve got a fantastic team Jonathan – all you have to do is let them get on with their jobs and keep smiling.”

In the Autumn, when Connor and his team won the Jumps Track Groundstaff Award, the judges noted the many improvements to the track and praised the staff for “their attention to detail and resourcefulness”. It’s true – the grounds team is hardworking, resourceful and (although not actually remarked upon by the judges) highly tolerant of the MD.

A mystery shopper attending the racecourse on behalf of the AA, for the Racecourse Association’s quality assurance scheme, observed that Kelso’s staff were “friendly, polite, and proactive in offering help – they demonstrated a good understanding of the venue, readily answering queries and guiding visitors effectively. There was a clear sense of pride in their roles and a ‘nothing is too much trouble attitude’ that was consistently evident throughout the day.”

The catering staff, working for Just Add Tonic, came in for praise too: “The high standard of service was particularly noticeable; staff were not only courteous and efficient but also genuinely attentive.”

Such comments are not rare on racecourses in Britain. Kelso was one of fifteen tracks to be awarded the Warm Welcome accolade, and one of seven to receive the Customer Service accolade – granted for having scored over 90% in the mystery shopping exercise. That’s a lot of happy racegoers, some of whom write to tell us about their experiences…

We were particularly pleased to hear from Gregory, who purchased a Kelso Annual Membership subscription at the start of 2026: “From the moment we arrived, we received wonderful hospitality from the parking attendant, the gate staff, the staff in Bill’s Bar, the restaurant, and the door steward – who played hide and seek with the kids!”

I had no idea that our raceday staff had time for hide and seek.

Of course, it’s impossible to please all the people all of the time and we do occasionally receive communications from racegoers with complaints – most frequently about the tips in the blog. This week’s is Melon in the handicap hurdle at Doncaster. (Note: the selection isn’t running at Kelso on Saturday, but only out of consideration – because we don’t want to spoil anyone’s day here.)

Whatever your experience at Kelso races, please don’t hesitate to tell Kelso’s wonderful staff all about it. Because, if you’re having a good day, they’ll be delighted and encouraged. And if you’re having a poor one, they’ll want to know what they can do to put it right.

As for the manager – well he’s going to sleep well ahead of the races, safe in the knowledge that he’s got a great team.