Bumper debut for Lady Villanelle at Kelso on Monday

On Monday, Kelso stage quite a nice looking card with two cracking handicap hurdles, a couple of interesting novice hurdles with a few pointers for the future and then finishes with a fascinating National Hunt Flat race. It's in this race that our Lady Villanelle makes her racecourse debut.

And what a race is in store, as there are several unexposed or unraced horses competing with fairly high home reputations.

Setting the standard as the one to beat based on racecourse form, is Tristan Davidson's 4-yr-old Sol de Mayo who finished 3rd on his debut at Aintree in November. Both the winner and the 4th won next time out, so the form of that race looks solid. But that's only half the story as this Dubawi gelding is concerned as he is a half brother to 3 winners on the flat and his dam was 2nd in the French Oaks. Definitely not bred with a Winter Monday at Kelso in mind and looks well bought from Godolphin for 18,000gns in February 2019.

Richard Fahey runs Sir Charles Lytton who is another well-related sort. This Elusive Pimpernel gelding is a half brother to 7 winners on the flat ranging in distance from 5½-12f, plus a winning 3m hurdler. May have to give best here though, on debut.

Of more interest first time out are a couple of geldings who are held in some regard by their respective stables.
Donald McCain's Mastercraftsman gelding Master Malachy is flat-bred and a half brother to 5 winners on the flat from 6-11f. In the last 2 or 3 years, the trainer has been buying yearlings with a view to a jumps campaign and this 4 year old would appear to fall into this category as a coupleof these siblings have gone on to win over jumps. This gelding may well be the winner.
The second of the field in this 'promising' category is Rob Bewley's Manorbank, now trained by Sandy Thomson. A strong gelding by Arcadio, he is a half brother to Tizzard's useful 2m chaser Tillington, a 5-time winner. He wont be far away.

The line-up is completed by Lucinda's Missy May and Kinneston Nick's Fernhill Lad, once-raced staying types who will need more time.

We think a lot of Lady Villanelle, most certainly a race-mare with a future, but although she has pleased us with her work in the mornings we do think that she will benefit from this debut run.

Good luck to TD9 Racing, a new group of owners although well known faces to Dodlands over the years.