Coastley can add to bookies' woe

KELSO stages the final fixture of its National Hunt season today, and if punters have anything like the luck that was floating around yesterday at Musselburgh, where six of the seven favourites won, they are in for a highly-profitable afternoon.

Chris Grant rode plenty of winners at Kelso and the Billingham-based trainer has a fine chance of taking the opening event on a seven-race card with Mardood, while Quick Will boasts two wins in two starts at Kelso and he can maintain that 100 per cent record in the NFU Mutual Risk Management Services Novices' Chase.

Coastley is another runner to have previously demonstrated his liking for the Borders circuit, and he is napped to bag another course and distance win with James Reveley in the saddle in the Kleinwort Benson Handicap Hurdle – the 8,000 feature race of the day.

The Isle of Skye Scotch Whisky Kelso Owners and Trainers championship also reaches its climax. Trainer Howard Johnson takes a commanding lead going into the final meeting and his principal owners, Andrea and Graham Wylie, take a slim lead into today's climax, narrowly ahead of Scottish Grand National-winning pair Ray and Anita Anderson Green.

The weather forecast is favourable, but many of the bookmakers may not be of a sunny disposition after the battering they took at Musselburgh yesterday, with all bar one of the seven favourites obliging for grateful punters.

The unstoppable Fremen (8-13) got the ball rolling with his fifth win on the spin in the opening seller, before Timeless Elegance (7-2), Excel Bolt (evens), Nufoudh (11-4), Fairy Shoes and Tillietudlem (7-4) also rewarded favourite backers. The only respite for bookies, albeit of scant consolation, was Mandarin Spirit's defeat, but even the winner of that five-furlong sprint Chosen One (9-2) was reasonably well backed.

At Goodwood today, Thaahira bids to stake her claim for Royal Ascot when she runs in the Blue Square Height of Fashion Stakes. The Barry Hills-trained filly created a favourable impression when romping away with a Chester maiden earlier this month. "It's a big step up but with Ascot in mind, we need to see whether she is going to make a Ribblesdale filly or where we are going, so hopefully she can step up," said Angus Gold, racing manager to owner Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum, whose colours will also be carried in this Listed race by Mudaaraah, trained by John Dunlop.