Kelso, Monday 20 April 2026 — Tips & Selections

Kelso, Monday 20 April 2026 — Tips & Selections

Good ground at Kelso on Easter Monday, and the eight-race card offers some genuine betting opportunities away from the obvious market movers. The going suits horses with a bit of class, and trainer form is a key filter today. Sandy Thomson's yard is firing at 2/8 over the last 14 days, Nicky Richards is running at 3/9, and Billy Aprahamian has hit 2/7. Those numbers matter when the market is tight.

Three races are featured below. Two non-runners trimmed the fields slightly, but there's still enough depth to find value.

2:00 — Adam Scott Celebratory Novices' Hurdle (2m2f, Good)

Smoke Trail is the 6/4 favourite and probably deserves to be, but the price is thin for a horse whose form has plateaued since that October course win. Four runs since that maiden victory have returned two thirds and a fourth. Derek Fox sticks with him for Russell and Scudamore, whose yard is going through a cold patch at 2/32 in the last 14 days. That stat gives pause.

Selection: Herja Each-Way at 7/1 (Bet365)

Patrick Griffin's mare showed a consistent level of form over hurdles throughout 2025, winning a Sedgefield maiden on good ground in September before being sent chasing. Both chase starts last month left her well behind, but back over hurdles she's a different proposition entirely. The hood coming off today suggests connections want a cleaner run through. Good ground suits her, the step back to hurdles is what this horse needs, and 7/1 in a ten-runner novice is a workable price with three places on offer at 1/5 odds. Harry Sexton claims 7lb, which helps the handicap.

Nobotheratall at 9/2 (Bet365) is the each-way alternative if Herja drifts. He ran well for a long way on hurdle debut here this month and Carlisle bumper form on good ground suggests this track and these conditions suit him. The Richards yard is in form. Keep him onside.

2:30 — Malcolm "Scarra" Scott Memorial Handicap Hurdle (2m6½f, Good)

Eleven runners, good ground, and a race full of course form. This is where the card gets interesting.

Selection: Jehol De Thaix at 7/2 (Bet365)

Nicky Richards is training winners at a healthy 3/9 clip in the last fortnight, and Danny McMenamin takes the ride. Jehol De Thaix finally broke through at Newcastle three weeks ago over 2m6f on good to soft, keeping on resolutely to win at his sixth attempt. He goes up 6lb for that, which is fair, but the key phrase in his Spotlight is "plenty of scope for further progress." A 7yo with a low winning RPR of 118 who has just found his feet is exactly the type to follow into a similar race. Today's trip matches his winning distance, the ground is right, and Richards knows how to place these horses in northern handicaps. At 7/2 this is not a price to ignore.

Each-way interest: Rauzan Each-Way at 6/1 (Bet365)

Back-to-back placed efforts including a third in the valuable series final here last month and a second at Carlisle just 16 days ago. This horse is in form, the course suits him, and Sean Quinlan takes the ride. Three places at 1/5 in an eleven-runner handicap makes 6/1 each-way a perfectly sensible play alongside the main selection.

Jericoacoara at 11/2 also has solid claims. Close second in the series final here last month and has clearly found his form this year. Not ignored, but Jehol De Thaix is preferred on the trainer angle and fresh winning form.

3:30 — Reg And Betty Tweedie Handicap Chase (2m7½f, Good)

Seven runners, one non-runner, and Wolfburg at evens dominates the market. That's a very short price for a horse who has just gone up 11lb following a nine-length win at Carlisle, now asked to step up significantly in trip to 2m7½f having never gone beyond 2m4f over fences.

Selection: Dare To Shout at 6/1 (Bet365 / William Hill / Coral)

Ann Hamilton's nine-year-old is now 6lb below the mark from which he won at Carlisle in October on good ground, which is exactly the type of angle that catches handicappers napping. He had a wind operation after his March run here and is now on his third wind surgery overall. That's either a red flag or a signal that connections are determined to get him back to his best. The going is good, which suits him. His October win came on good ground. He was last of five here in March but it was close enough not to write off. At 6/1 in a seven-runner field with Wolfburg at evens, the market has done most of the work for you.

Cadell at 10/1 is interesting in the first-time visor, having won this course three times, but the pulled-up form on his last three outings is hard to ignore at any price without seeing a sharper visor run first.

Today's NAP