You know how punters get lost in too much data or bet blindly? I break down the stats and trends so you can feel confident youâre betting with more than just gut instinct.
2026 Scottish Borders National Preview
Scheduled to take place in December of each year at the Kelso racecourse is the Scottish Borders National, a race which has changed over the years. It was originally scheduled for March, but in 2007 it was moved to December.
It was held twice that year, and some have questioned the move to December, as it has been cancelled three times since then due to bad weather. It also makes it much more demanding: four miles in December is always going to be much more testing than four miles in March.
Scottish Borders National Information:
- Scottish Borders National Past Winners
- Scottish Borders National Trainer Statistics
- Scottish Borders National Jockey Statistics
Why not use the trends shortlist below to help you narrow down the field and then head over to the dedicated Kelso tips page to see which runners are being supported by the OLBG expert racing tipsters to find yourself a bet? You may also be interested in other preview blogs that we have packed full of information. Head down to the Other Principal Races at Kelso Racecourse section for links to these.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2025
How competitive is the Scottish Borders National market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2012 when the race had an over-round of 112%. The race in 2018 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 129%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Scottish Borders National, the over-round has been 120%, which means the bookie expects to pay out ÂŁ100 for every ÂŁ120 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Scottish Borders National Trends. See which patterns have occurred over the recent renewals that you may be able to use for the next renewal. We also have a section that looks at the Scottish Borders National Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Scottish Borders National races over the last 20 renewals:
- Royale Knight (8:21.30) in 2013
- Tipsy Mouse (8:24.00) in 2004
- Harry The Viking (8:31.60) in 2018
Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? Over the past 20 renewals, if you had followed the winner of the Scottish Borders National next time out, then you would have backed a total of 1 winner. Backing all 19 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -15.50. Remember to use the racing predictions along with the information on this page to find a bet on the 2026 Scottish Borders National.
Over the last 20 renewals, it was Royale Knight, trained by Dr Richard Newland and ridden by Sam Twiston-Davies, who set the fastest winning time in the Scottish Borders National. That runner won the race in a time of 8:21.30 in 2013. At the other end of the scale, it was the combination of trainer Alan Mactaggart and jockey Mr C Storey with Running Moss who set the slowest winning time; the race-winning time was 9:34.20 in the 2002 renewal.
Scottish Borders National Past Winners
Here are the Scottish Borders National past winners for the last 10 renewals. Each row details the year of the race, the horse which won, along with the age & weight of the horse. The horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the Scottish Borders National are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
Race Notes: The race was originally run in March but was switched to December in 2007. No race in 2001, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2017 & 2023 and two races in 2007.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 8:48.73 | Grozni (FR) 9yo 11-0 22/1 | Brian Hughes Sandy Thomson (GB) |
| 2024 9:13.07 | Bretney (IRE) 9yo 11-5 12/1 | Sam Twiston-Davies Henry Daly (GB) |
| 2022 8:55.09 | Flower Of Scotland (FR) 7yo 10-2 100/30F | Danny McMenamin Sandy Thomson (GB) |
| 2021 9:06.14 | Big River (IRE) 11yo 11-9 15/2 | Derek Fox Lucinda Russell (GB) |
| 2020 9:04.58 | Dino Boy (FR) 7yo 10-0 11/1 | Conor O'Farrell Iain Jardine (GB) |
| 2019 9:19.49 | Bigirononhiship (IRE) 8yo 10-11 12/1 | Craig Nichol Rose Dobbin (GB) |
| 2018 8:31.60 | Harry The Viking (GB) 13yo 10-0 16/1 | Rachael McDonald (5lbs) Sandy Thomson (GB) |
| 2016 8:46.80 | Harry The Viking (GB) 11yo 9-13 5/1 | Rachael McDonald (7lbs) Sandy Thomson (GB) |
| 2015 9:33.60 | Neptune Equester (GB) 12yo 11-4 11/4F | Derek Fox (3lbs) Sandy Thomson (GB) |
| 2014 8:44.20 | Neptune Equester (GB) 11yo 10-4 5/1 | Derek Fox (3lbs) Sandy Thomson (GB) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Scottish Borders National have been based:
- GB: 20 winners with an additional 40 placings from 212 runners
- FR: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 13 runners
- IRE: 0 winners with an additional 1 placing from 7 runners
Scottish Borders National Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the Scottish Borders National over the last 20 renewals is Sandy Thomson, who has won the race six times, with those six winners coming from Neptune Equester (2014 & 2015), Harry The Viking (2016 & 2018), Flower Of Scotland (2022) and Grozni (2025).
Here are some of the top Scottish Borders National trainer statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Trainer | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sandy Thomson | 12-6-6 | +48.08 | +27.06 |
| Lucinda Russell | 13-1-4 | -4.50 | +0.82 |
| Dr Richard Newland | 6-1-2 | +1.00 | +0.20 |
| Rose Dobbin | 5-1-1 | +8.00 | +3.50 |
| Sue Smith | 5-1-1 | -1.00 | -2.12 |
| Iain Jardine | 2-1-1 | +10.00 | +5.60 |
| Nick Williams | 2-1-1 | +4.00 | +2.00 |
| Henry Daly | 1-1-1 | +12.00 | +7.20 |
| John Quinn | 1-1-1 | +4.00 | +2.40 |
| Nicky Richards | 7-0-2 | -7.00 | -3.25 |
Scottish Borders National Jockey Statistics
The leading jockey in the Scottish Borders National over the last 20 renewals is Derek Fox, who has won the race three times, with those three winners coming from Neptune Equester (2014 & 2015) and Big River (2021). Other jockeys who have recorded multiple wins in the Scottish Borders National are James Reveley (2 wins), Sam Twiston-Davies (2 wins) and Rachael McDonald (2 wins).
Here are some of the top Scottish Borders National jockey statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Jockey | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Derek Fox | 8-3-6 | +10.25 | +11.70 |
| James Reveley | 6-2-5 | +27.00 | +18.83 |
| Sam Twiston-Davies | 5-2-2 | +15.00 | +7.80 |
| Rachael McDonald | 2-2-2 | +21.00 | +13.13 |
| Brian Hughes | 7-1-6 | +16.00 | +16.35 |
| Craig Nichol | 4-1-1 | +9.00 | +4.50 |
| Danny McMenamin | 4-1-1 | +0.33 | -0.92 |
| Conor O'Farrell | 3-1-1 | +9.00 | +4.60 |
| Dougie Costello | 3-1-2 | +2.00 | +2.40 |
| Sean Quinlan | 6-0-1 | -6.00 | -3.00 |
2026 Scottish Borders National Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): F, 5, 1, 2, F, PU, 1, UR, PU, 3, PU, (1, PU), 6, 2, F, F, 0, 1, PU, 3
The percentage shown is the percentage of the total number of runners who fell under that factor. High percentages are less appealing than lower ones, as you would expect them to do well.
- 20 / 20 (76%) - Carried 135 - 160lbs (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (80%) - Carried 140 - 164lbs (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (82%) - In a field of 7 - 17 (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Had 3 - 19 placings (Chase)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Achieved a TS of 66+ (Going)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Off a break of 12 - 69 days
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Achieved a TS of 56+ (Last 3)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Ran in 2 - 9 races (1 Year)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Had 1 - 5 placings (1 Year)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Ran in 4 - 37 races (Hcps)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Achieved a TS of 94+ (Career)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Held an OR of 97+ (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Highest Placed is not Cl4-5
- 20 / 20 (89%) - No bigger than 25/1
- 19 / 20 (81%) - Achieved an RPR of 116+ (Last 5)
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Kelso racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Scottish Borders National. Did you know that we have an OLBG Betting School section on OLBG? It is a place to help you improve your betting experience with articles covering numerous topics.
Are you already a member? If not, then why not? With over ÂŁ6,000 given away each month in the tipster competition, why not get involved? Remember, it is completely FREE! So, head over to the registration page to sign up today! If you are already a member, then share your thoughts on the Scottish Borders National by adding a tip on the race here.
101 Ways to find Winners in Horse Racing
Scottish Borders National Trend Analysis
â The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +32.33, is when runners had a different jockey than when they last won.
â The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners ran in a race worth ÂŁ4,000 when last winning, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-32.
The course which has produced the most winners of the Scottish Borders National is Carlisle; there have been a total of 5 winners of this race who ran at Carlisle last time out. The next best course, which has produced the second most winners, is Kelso; there have been a total of 4 winners of this race who ran at Kelso last time out.
The race is open to both sexes, with male runners having produced a total of 17 winners from a total of 212 runners, while female runners have produced 3 winners from a total of 20 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Scottish Borders National:
- Roselier (3 Wins)
- Milan (2 Wins)
- Sir Harry Lewis (2 Wins)
- Sovereign Water (2 Wins)
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Scottish Borders National despite multiple attempts:
- Endoli (0 Wins from 5 runners)
- Westerner (0 Wins from 5 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Rambling Minster in 2007, winning for Keith Reveley at odds of 25/1 under the guidance of James Reveley. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 4 winning favourites in the race. Remember to bookmark the best racing tipsters page so you can get easy access to the best OLBG racing tipsters.
Route to the Scottish Borders National
Many trainers target races as preparation for the Scottish Borders National. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Grozni Kelso - 6th of 7 (23/1) | Belhaven Brewery Wishing Well Handicap Chase |
| 2024 - Bretney Bangor - 7th of 10 (12/1) | Sir Charles Lowther Plate |
| 2022 - Flower Of Scotland Carlisle - 3rd of 9 (15/2) | Dowson Blades Cumberland Handicap Chase |
| 2021 - Big River Kelso - 2nd of 6 (11/2) | Edinburgh Gin Chase |
| 2020 - Dino Boy Carlisle - PU of 12 (6/1) | Cumberland Handicap Chase |
| 2019 - Bigirononhiship Wetherby - 1st of 4 (2/1) | William Hill Best Odds Guaranteed Conditional Jockeys Handicap Chase |
| 2018 - Harry The Viking Carlisle - 7th of 10 (20/1) | Cumberland Handicap Chase |
| 2016 - Harry The Viking Carlisle - 2nd of 10 (12/1) | Racing UK Handicap Chase |
| 2015 - Neptune Equester Kelso - 2nd of 7 (12/1) | Graeme Todd & Friends Handicap Hurdle |
| 2014 - Neptune Equester Kelso - 4th of 7 (7/2) | Graeme Todd Haulage And Friends Handicap Hurdle |
Article Contributor Information
We are fortunate to have an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to the creation and maintenance of this Scottish Borders National Preview are Andy and Darren. They both work on the Horse racing tips team, looking after the tipsters and managing the tips settlement, whilst also creating and managing all of the horse racing event previews for National Hunt Racing.
Darren Brett
Expert Guide
Andy Powell
Expert Guide
