Yesterday at Kelso

Charlie Bucket did not run very well in the staying handicap hurdle yesterday. He was struggling from before halfway, and ran as if something was amiss. We will have him checked out of course, but we'll put our heads together to figure out a different training pattern for the gelding.

Hawaii Klass didn't run too badly in the staying chase, though. The 115-rated chaser put in a few hesitant jumps early on, but jumped with fluency as he warmed to his task. Held up in rear, he couldn't close in on the leaders so was pulled up when out of contention 2 out. If Hawaii runs in novice chases, he'll be taking on 125+ rated rivals, yet his (current) inexperience over fences comes to the fore in handicaps. A 0-110 Beginners Chase would be ideal, so we've maybe just got to persevere in handicaps until his BHA mark drops.

Much the same could be said about fellow novice chaser Snapping Turtle. Held up in rear, he also made mistakes during the 2m 1f handicap, and did stay on through beaten horses to again finish in the frame. Dropping a pound or two would let the gelding into a 1-100 Beginners Chase, and Callum thinks that he would also be better suited by a sounder surface.

Hawaii Klass (Wilson Renwick( pictured jumping at Kelso yesterday

OBE for Milsey Bay's George

Charlie Bucket may not have brought him much cheer, but our congratulations go to Milsey Bay Partnership member George Fairgrieve who received an O.B.E. in the New Year's honour's list.

Well done, George!!