Popular leading Scottish owner Anita Anderson Green dies aged 64

Anita Anderson Green, who along with husband R ay co - owned hundreds of winners on the Flat and over jumps, has died. She was 64 and also leaves behind a daughter, Verity, and son, Dominic whose wife Natalie is a presenter on ITV Racing.

A familiar and popular figure, particularly on the northern scene, she had been bravely battling illness for several years and passed away peacefully at her East Lothian home last weekend.

Mrs Anderson Green was a major force in the NSPCC for o ve r f o u r d e c a d e s a n d s h e help ed organise a race containing that title at Kelso every year. Having began as a branch secretary, she became national chairman for ten years and was awarded the OBE for her services to children.

Her husband said: “She had a unique abilit y to commun i c a te wi t h a l l wal k s o f l i f e and was just as at ease joking with my football mates as she would be talking to the Queen.

“She was genuinely i n t e r - ested in ever yone she spoke to and even sent hundreds of letters to people who had lost someone close - some of those letters date back ten or 15 years and the families have been in touch to say how sad they are to hear she has died.

“We e n j oye d 4 3 5 wi n n e r s t o g e t h e r i n t h e A n d e r s o n Green colours and there are so many happy memories. They included Merigo’s two Scottish National wins (2010 & 2012) but it was also brilliant to win with Life Is Life (2001 Queen Al ex a n d r a S t a ke s) a t Royal Ascot and Sparky Gayle (1997 C a t h c a r t C h a l l e n g e C u p) a t t h e C h e l t e n h a m f e s t i v a l .” A memorial ser vice for Mrs Anderson Green will be held at a future date yet to be decided.

• Grand Mogul can stake an early Festival claim with victor y in the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle, one of the feature events on the first day of the Novemb er meeting at Cheltenham today.

N i c k y H e n d e r s o n l o o k e d sure to have a fine recruit on his hands when the six-yearold joined his yard after winning one of two bumper outings for Gordon Elliott in 2018.

However, things did not really go to plan last season, with Grand Mogul pulled up on his debut for the yard at Newbury before trailing home last of six behind Protektorat at Cheltenham on New Year's Day.

Grand Mogul did not reap - p e a r u n t i l C h e p s t o w l a s t m o n t h , w h e n h e l o o k e d a totally different proposition i n b r e e z i n g h o me by s e ve n l e n g t h s d e s p i t e a 3 0 0 - d a y a b s e n c e . H e t r ave l l e d we l l b efore assuming control at the penultimate obstacle and going on to win as he liked.

This Grade Two contest is obviously a much stiffer test, b u t G r a n d Mo g u l i s o n t h e right track now and can rise to the challenge.

It is hard to envisage defeat for Easysland in the Glenfarc l a s C r o s s C o u n t r y H a n d i - cap Chase, with everything in favour for the Festival winner.

Unbeaten in his last seven star ts, David Cottin's charge handed out a 17-length beating to the reopposing dual Grand National winner Tiger Roll off level weights back in March.

Easysland will be in receipt of 4lb this time - and while Tiger Roll does have a fitness edge, he will find it tough to reverse that form under these conditions.

Henderson can make it a double on the day with El Kaldoun in the attheraces.com Novices' Handicap Chase at Southwell.