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Gary Moore has never had a runner at Kelso. However, the Sussex trainer is set to buck that trend this weekend when he saddles Teddy Blue in the £100,000 Morebattle Hurdle at the Scottish racetrack.

Moore is enjoying a strong Jumps season, registering his 50th winner recently and he is currently operating at a 16% strike-rate.

Teddy Blue, a 5/1 chance with Betfair for the feature event at 1.50pm is a horse firmly on the up. The five-year-old was a ready winner at Lingfield in January of a maiden hurdle and backed up that effort with a really pleasing third in the Betfair Hurdle at Newbury last time out.

He was quite keen on that occasion and tired close home. However, it was still a career-best effort and you had to be taken with the way he jumped, a marked improvement from that success at Lingfield.

Interestingly, the handicapper has dropped the son of Sea The Moon 3lb for that effort and he arguably looks very feasibly treated for this event. Talented 5lb claimer Caoilin Quinn will also be aboard which will surely aid the chances further.

If Teddy Blue were to be successful at Kelso on Saturday, he would be in line for a £100,000 bonus if he won any race at this year’s Cheltenham Festival.

The current market leader is Mctigue for Emmet Mullins and owner Paul Byrne who landed the £100,000 bonus with The Shunter in 2021. Bidding to become the first four-year-old to land the race, he was rated 98 on the Flat for Jim Bolger, but caught the eye on his second hurdling start when powering to victory in a Grade Two event at Auteuil. Well-beaten in his last two starts, latterly behind Lossiemouth at Leopardstown in December, a rating of 142 is certainly on the high side and this will be no easy task against some proven handicappers.

Others to consider in the contest include Colonel Mustard who reverts to hurdling following two defeats over fences this year, latterly behind El Fabiolo. Third in the County Hurdle last term, he arguably remains well-handicapped off 143 and despite having to shoulder top-weight, he will serve it up to hot favourite Mctigue.

Other interesting runners include L’Eau Du Sud who caught the eye in defeat at Kempton Park last time out and Cormier who won the race 12 months ago and is only 2lb higher in the weights this time around.

Why this weekend brings a first in the horse racing career of trainer Gary Moore