Kelso aims to build on last year's success with Go North Weekend

Kelso's managing director Jonathan Garratt believes the Go North Weekend in March can become a regular "racing holiday" for jumps fans after the success of its first season with crowds in attendance.

The three-day event, sponsored by the Racing Post, begins at Musselburgh on Friday March 24 before moving on to Kelso, where four races are scheduled to be shown by ITV, and Carlisle.

It features a number of Go North series finals named after northern equine stars, including Red Rum and Sea Pigeon, and one discounted ticket for all three days is available for £40.

"Last year was the first time we were permitted to have a crowd, albeit quite late in the day, and we're looking forward to building on that," said Garratt.

"We know many owners and trainers in the north who have identified the series finals for their horses, so we think they'll be competitive betting events that racegoers and punters will enjoy. It's also a good time of year from a programming perspective, sitting between the festivals at Cheltenham and Aintree.

Jonathan Garratt: " It can become an exciting feature for enthusiastic jumps fans"Credit: John Grossick

"For racegoers, we're going to continue to sell the three-day ticket so people can travel between the tracks. We're hoping people will treat it as a racing holiday and that it can become an exciting feature for enthusiastic jumps fans."

The weekend was designed to provide meaningful end-of-season targets for horses trained in the north, who are not being aimed at the bigger spring festivals, and provide a showcase for jump racing in the region.

On the strength of racing in the north, Garratt added: "A relatively short time ago, you might have taken a slightly gloomy view of racing in the north but take a snapshot of this weekend. You've got Tommy's Oscar winning for Ann and Ian Hamilton, the Coltherds winning the Sky Bet Chase at Doncaster and Lucinda Russell winning the Cotswold with Ahoy Senor. Suddenly the north looks pretty hot.

"There's a danger with looking at one weekend but I do feel racing in the north is picking up again. I feel as though our trainers are getting more horses and becoming increasingly competitive at the top end. There's a long way to go, but initiatives like this one will hopefully help to enhance that competitiveness and give owners something to aim for."

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