It’s an indication that another racing season is approaching when I find myself speaking with Super-Stu, from Fantasy prints in Berwick, discussing requirements for new and replacement signage.

There are changes to the notices that show raceday admission prices at the entrance (don’t forget – tickets are 20% – 40% cheaper if you order them online now at www.kelso-races.co.uk), updates to the racecourse logo, and a fresh ‘next fixture’ sign for the lane near Floors Castle – to replace the one hit by the side-arm of a tractor hedge-cutter…

“And what do you want on the sign above the door to the new stable staff canteen?”

Well, that’s a good question and one that we’ve debated a few times in the racecourse office. We’ve thought about naming it: The Nose Bag, The Trough, Scran Shed, Feed Shed, Feed Bowl, Feed Barn, Hay Barn, Hay Net, Hay Heck – all of which appeared to be good suggestions.

No one liked my idea of “Hot Mash & Nuts” for fear that the venue might get mistaken for one of the Borders’ nightclubs, a place where some racegoers might end up getting their oats following the final race of the day.

In case you were in any doubt, the stable staff canteen isn’t that kind of joint. It’s intended to be an oasis of calm, where visiting staff can get some respite from the rigours of racing with a mug of hot tea, a sandwich, or a hot meal. It’s a facility which has been lacking at Kelso since the old canteen suffered a fire early one morning, burning a hole through the wooden back wall which revealed a drafty (and unwanted) view of the stable yard’s interior.

The new canteen, managed by the ever-positive Lisa, will provide almost exactly three times the space as the old one and should be much more comfortable – with facilities for travellers to change their clothes and freshen up too. Among the many visitors to Kelso during the forthcoming season, I hope that we may see my friend James Moffatt from Cartmel who trains our selection – Book Of Secrets – in the big race of the weekend, The Molson Coors Cartmel Cup (in terms of valuable races, there’s also the £500,000 Ebor Handicap at York on Saturday, but Jimmy doesn’t have a runner in that, so we’re sticking with Cartmel).

I think it’s appropriate today, given that we’re celebrating National Racehorse Week (Saturday 23rd August – Sunday 31st August) that we announce the name for the new area where we’ll be looking after the people who look after the horses. Opening on Wednesday 17th September, Kelso’s new stable canteen will be called The Feed Room.

There’ll be no excuses for not eating up…