Strong Of The Clyde

Jefferson has big opportunity in the feature at Kelso

Malcolm Jefferson has his eye on the £22,500 feature race at Kelso on Saturday with Firth Of The Clyde.

With the meeting now a featuring a bumper eight-race card, the Malton raider faces four rivals in the EDF-ER Limited Handicap Chase over 3m 2f.

Jefferson said: “He had one run last season due to a bout of cellulitis [skin infection]. It ended up a fantastic effort as he was second to Saphir Du Rheu, who was subsequently fifth in the Gold Cup.

“He’s 12 now and needs a trip these days with cut in the ground. We will hopefully find some nice races for him and it would be nice to win a couple along the way.”

Last year the race was won by Lucinda Russell’s subsequent Grand National hero One For Arthur, who is out for the whole of this season with a leg injury, and this time the top-rated runner is Wakanda, trained by Sue Smith.

The field is completed by Paulnicholls’somerset raider As De Mee, coowned by Dame Judi Dench, as well as the Donald Mccaintrained The Clock Leary andashpark,trainedjusta few miles away from the track at Selkirk by Stuart Coltherd.

One For Arthur may be sidelined but trainer Russell and his jockey Derek Fox, are represented by Big River in the Clifford & Martin Firth Memorial Novices’ Chase. The gelding impressed over hurdles at Kelso in the spring and Russell, pictured, said: “He has a little bit more toe and class than One For Arthur and is an exciting prospect.” Among the opposition is Give Me A Copper, a fellow chasing debutant trained by Paul Nicholls and co-owned by Sir Alex Ferguson.