THE faces were long prior to racing at Kelso yesterday, but with a biting wind attacking the human body's more delicate extremities, this was perfectly understandable.
With a little help from the central heating that we distil so well in this country, racegoers finally faced the elements and after the favourite skipped past the post in front in the first, suddenly the gale was almost forgotten.
Knockara Fair has not been the most fortunate animal in recent races, but his turn came at the Borders course, to the delight of most of the punters.
There was a liberal sprinkling of red and white, not to mention leeks, in the stands and bars being worn by individuals with funny accents.
Apparently, something is occurring in the Capital tomorrow between Scotland and Wales, and many visitors from the principality were in joyous mood when Radiation took the second race.
However, they were not the only far-travelled punters wearing grins from ear to ear, because members of the Optimistic Racing syndicate were almost doing handstands in the winners' circle after their Optimistic Chris had made all to take the juvenile hurdle.
Having weighed-in at 8-1, it's no wonder they were chuffed. The course may have been celebrating trainer Ken Oliver's eightyfifth birthday, but the main event of the afternoon belonged to another senior citizen, 75-year-old Norman Dalgetty, whose Davy Blake was winning for the eighth time at Kelso.
Thanks to the wonder of modern veterinary medicine, Kilvue King is now back in excellent health, as he displayed winning the Tom Doody Hurdle almost in a canter.
Trainer Peter Monteith explained that his gelding has had breathing diffi-culties, but a visit to Edinburgh's Royal Vet College did the trick. ''If he didn't have the problem he would have been a good thing. We just didn't know,'' said Monteith. If he had only said so beforehand.
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