Gordon Brown – Race Reporter
Gordon has a wealth of experience of racing through his background in the written and broadcast media. His current principle role is reporting and supporting the scene in Scotland on Racing TV and relaying the latest news with Scottish angles.
Fergal O’Brien once more has his eye on the £100,000 feature race at Kelso, this time with Northern Air, who carries the colours of football legend Harry Redknapp.
The event in question is the Ladbrokes Herring Queen Series Final Mares’ Novices’ Handicap Hurdle, which the Gloucestershire trainer landed in comfortable fashion twelve months ago with 6/4 favourite Bonttay
Returning following a second wind correction operation, Northern Air was last seen out in mid-January when scoring in maiden hurdle company at Taunton. She cost £105,000 at the sales in December 2023 and boasts a nice pedigree with the former high-class hurdler Mighty Mogul in her pedigree.
Her rivals include stable companion Leloopa, David Pipe’s Somerset raider Walkadina, Ewan Whillans’ recent Musselburgh winner Lizzie Luna and Barrabool, trained by Harry Derham, who was on the scoresheet on Morebattle Hurdle day at Kelso with Filibustering.
The card, which carries £268,000 in total prize money, in again covered by the ITV Racing cameras and is part of the Ladbrokes Go North Finals weekend.
A typically-competitive race is the £30,000 Ladbrokes Go North Cab On Target Handicap Hurdle Series Final, which sees Ballyfort a contender for Kinneston trainer Nick Alexander. He was very impressive in a qualifier for this series at Ayr a couple of weeks ago.