Sorry I haven't the time for a hard sell - but I can promise a great weekend at the Racing Post Go North Festival

I’m not good with deadlines. Take this column for example. “You enjoy writing,” they said. “Why not do a piece for the Racing Post?” they said. “You can tell all those knowledge-hungry readers about the Go North Racing Festival."

It seemed like a good idea at the time, way back in January while I still had two whole months to think about what I might actually write. But on Sunday, with just days until the three-day festival starts at Musselburgh, I was staring at a blank screen and wondering where to start.

Actually, that’s not quite true. I was staring at a blank screen, wondering whether I could bang out 900 words in the morning and still make it down the road in time to see whether Tommy’s Oscar could give 24lb to Brian Ellison’s Baron De Midleton in the first race at Carlisle, which stages the third and final day of the Go North Festival on Sunday.

The Go North Festival, sponsored by the Racing Post, is a novel concept, involving ten race-series finals which take place over the course of three fixtures, at three very different northern tracks, this week. The action commences at Musselburgh on Friday before moving on to Kelso on Saturday and concluding at Carlisle.

Racing Post readers can join the travelling circus by pre-booking a cut-price ticket, available from any of the three tracks, for just £40. I’d love to tell you how much you’d save compared to buying the tickets individually on the day, but I’m a bit pressed for time to complete the research.

I’m very keen to watch Tommy’s Oscar, who is just one of an increasing number of high-class jumpers to grace the northern scene this season. Others include Ahoy Senor and Coopers Cross, winners of the Cotswold Chase and Sky Bet Chase respectively, on the very same January Saturday of Tommy’s previous win. And then there is Corach Rambler, as short as 6-1 for next month’s Grand National after his Cheltenham Festival heroics; Sounds Russian, who could be one for Aintree next year; The Real Whacker, for the 2024 Gold Cup; Empire Steel, for the Scottish Grand National. That’s without mentioning familiar favourites such as Big River, Dingo Dollar and Aye Right.

Corach Rambler (right): 6-1 for the Grand National after stirring Cheltenham victoryCredit: GROSSICK RACING 07710461723

Let’s just say the saving from the three-day ticket is at least £30 – probably more. Which, if you’re driving from the south, is more than enough to buy several scotch eggs, a freshly baked loaf, and some delicious hot smoked salmon from the farm shop at the uniquely pleasant M6 services at Tebay, Westmorland.

Not that it’s obligatory to drive to any of the three racecourses. Musselburgh arranges a shuttle bus from train stations at Wallyford and Newcraighall, and Carlisle offers a similar service from the city centre. Here at Kelso, the Track-to-Track bus service is bookable online, offering racegoers the chance to transfer from either Tweedbank station (for trains from Edinburgh) or Berwick-upon-Tweed (just 3hr 40min from London King's Cross). I can recommend the east-coast line, which I use quite a bit for trips to York and London. Travelling north, you want to be sitting on the right-hand side for views of Bamburgh Castle and Lindisfarne Island.

There are excellent places to stay on the nights between the races too: Edinburgh for culture and the nightlife; or pop down to the Schloss Roxburghe Hotel (one of our race sponsors alongside BetVictor on Saturday) for a five-star spa experience.

But I know what you’re thinking: when is he going to tell us about the racing? After all, you didn’t pick up the Racing Post for a travelogue – no matter how beautiful the rolling hills of the Scottish Borders. The thing about the Go North Series Finals, sponsored by the Racing Post, is they were specifically engineered to boost field sizes in the north, with qualifiers taking place throughout the year from Doncaster to Britain’s northernmost track at Perth. Devised to cater for horses who have qualified with BHA ratings of up to 120 (although they may have improved further since), the finals provide valuable race targets for owners who are unlikely to have had their sights set on Cheltenham.

It’s part of a collaborative effort, between courses and the BHA, to create an aspirational race programme that helps to develop jumping talent in the north and one which encourages owners to place their horses with northern trainers and take aim at valuable contests such as the bet365 Morebattle Hurdle, the Scottish Grand National and the world’s greatest steeplechase at Aintree.

Southern and Irish trainers are welcome to participate in the Go North Finals too, a benefit of the qualification criteria being encouragement for them to participate in more northern races, thereby helping to maintain the competitiveness of our racing all year round.

Kelso’s programme on Saturday features the £50,000 BetVictor Herring Queen Mares' Novices' Handicap Hurdle – the only one of the ten series finals which includes qualifiers as far south as Plumpton and Wincanton. The inaugural running of the race was won by the Nicky Henderson-trained Theatre Glory, who played a creditable supporting role in Honeysuckle’s curtain call on racing’s most celebrated stage last week.

Named after the carnival queen at Eyemouth, on the nearby Berwickshire coast, the Herring Queen Hurdle will be one of four races that will be broadcast live by the ITV Racing team, who evidently enjoyed their recent trip to Kelso so much they have decided to rush back for more.

And why not? There’s so much to see, do and enjoy here on the northern racing circuit. And so little time for writing columns. I hope you’ll come and join us.

Jonathan Garratt is the managing director of Kelso Racecourse. You can read his weekly blog at www.theborderpost.co.uk.

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