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.
A RECORD £1 million in prize money is up for grabs for Musselburgh’s ten-meeting jumps season which gets underway on Wednesday.
There will be £400,000 on offer for the Bet365 Scottish Cheltenham Trials weekend in early February when the £100,000 Edinburgh National, doubled in value from last year, will be the richest national hunt race ever staged at the East Lothian venue.
Sandy Thomson’s Kelso specialist Cedar Hill could be the one to beat in the £25,000 Prince Philip Perpetual Challenge Trophy Handicap Chase over nearly two miles.
“He loves Kelso where he has won five times but he’s also won elsewhere including at Musselburgh in the Scottish Champion Chase last year,” Thomson said. “We took him out at Kelso the other day as it was just too testing for him and this ground should be more to his liking.”
One of the main dangers to Cedar Hill could be top-weight Fidelio Vallis, second in the most recent edition of the Scottish Champion Chase and saddled by fledgling trainer Harry Derham.
Collingham, the Scottish County Hurdle hero from earlier in the year over course and distance, bids for a third Musselburgh success in the Racing TV Free For Now At racingtv.com/freetrial Handicap.
Charlie Maggs claims a valuable 10lb allowance off the five-year-old, who is trained by his boss Donald McCain.
In the opening conditional jockeys’ handicap hurdle, Maggs goes head to head with his identical twin brother William with the pair riding Finisk River and Pammi respectively.