Nells Son

Kelso is where Nells Son belongs. He has won 4 of his 7 races there — more than half — which is a remarkable record at any track, let alone one of the more competitive jumping venues in the north of England. His first career win came at Kelso in October 2021. His biggest win came there too, a top-level Class 1 race in March 2022. And as recently as December 2024 he was back winning a high-quality Class 2 at the same track. Four wins from seven visits to one course is the kind of statistic that makes trainers plan their whole season around a single entry.

Trainer Nicky Richards, whose yard at Greystoke has sent out 39 winners already this season, has spoken warmly about what Nells Son is capable of when conditions suit. After the Kelso win in December, Richards noted the horse jumped well and was probably a different class to his rivals — high praise from a trainer not known for overstatement. Richards also mentioned that on better ground, Nells Son can stretch out to two and a half miles, though on wetter ground two miles is about his limit. The horse has won 2 of his 5 races in normal conditions, a 40% win rate that reinforces just how much he thrives when the ground is on his side.

His most regular partner is jockey Danny McMenamin, who has been aboard for 5 of those 6 career wins across 23 races together — that is a win rate of 22%, which is consistently strong at this level. The partnership clearly works. Nells Son has not won in his last six races, but he finished third in the most recent of those, and Richards has been measured in his response — describing form dips as something every horse goes through, and backing his horse to bounce back. At eleven, with a Class 1 win, four course wins at Kelso, and a trainer who clearly believes there is another big day in him, it would be unwise to write Nells Son off.