LUCINDA Russell has her stable in cracking form and the Milnathort trainer saddled five winners at Newcastle over the weekend.

A double on Saturday was followed by a victorious treble on Sunday. Her hat-trick began when she saddled Orioninverness to head the 2½-mile handicap chase for the Tay Valley Chasers Club. Chasseur De Tete made it a double to land the two-mile handicap hurdle and win number three came courtesy of Behindthelines, which won the three-mile novice hurdle.

“I bought him after he finished second in a point-to-point,” said Lucinda. “He’s going to make a nice chaser next season.”

The previous afternoon, Selkirk jockey, Tom Willmott, lost his 10lb claim when partnering the Lucinda Russell-trained Rivabodiva to win the three-mile conditional jockeys’ novice handicap hurdle race. Tom joined Arlary House Stables last November.

Lucinda went on to land the double when Grand Morning justified favouritism to head the novice handicap hurdle race.

Neighbouring trainer, Nick Alexander, also completed a double at the track the following afternoon, on April 15. Gold Opera was ridden by his daughter, Lucy, to win the 2½-mile handicap chase. “I thought he would be a three-miler this season, but he seems best at two and a half,” said Nick.

Bertalus then posted a 9-1 win in the hands of Jedburgh’s Grant Cockburn to take the two-and-three-quarter mile handicap chase.

Hawick jockey, Blair Campbell, is in fine form and scored a personal best when taking his seasonal tally to 12, last Friday.

Having ridden two consecutive winners seven days earlier for Lucinda Russell, where he is based, he was back in the top spot at Sedgefield, on April 13. Blair rode the Russell-trained Spoils of War to a comfortable 5-1 victory in the concluding three-mile handicap hurdle race. The pair scored by eight lengths ahead of Classical Sound, trained by Rose Dobbin and ridden by fellow Hawick jockey, Craig Nichol.

Da Capo Dandy completed a victorious hattrick when recording her third victory on the trot to land the fix-furlong handicap at Southwell on April 12. The four-year-old is trained at Langholm by James Ewart, who was quickly back in the winner’s enclosure when Ascot De Bruyere won at Newcastle two days later.

The gelding cruised home 24 lengths clear for a resounding victory in the two-and-three-quarter mile handicap chase. It was an impressive performance on a first run over this trip and having been sidelined for some 12 months.

The father and son team of Donald and Callum Whillans are also on a roll, and took the opening 2½-mile novices hurdle race with Eternally Yours. The mare, trained on the outskirts of Hawick by Donald, and ridden by his younger son, Callum, carried the colours of Scottish owner, Alistair Duncan. Having finished in the frame in all three of her bumper runs, she was making a victorious hurdling debut.

Northumberland jockey, Harry Reed, rode Tara Mac to a 16-1 win in the 2½-mile handicap hurdle race.

James Ewart continued in winning form at Kelso on November 16, where Calix Delafayette cruised home 18 lengths clear to head the opening two-mile novice hurdle race. “He’s a nice big type and should make a chaser,” said winning jockey Brian Hughes.

There was a thrilling finish to the two-mile handicap hurdle race, with Harry Reed getting Chicoria up by a neck to take the spoils, despite the saddle slipping forward in the closing stages. “It’s great to win at Kelso,” said Harry, who was posting his first success at the track.

Father and daughter, Nick and Lucy Alexander, teamed up to take the handicap chase with 14-1 chance Always Tipsy for Berwickshire farmer, Alan Wight and co-owner, Judy Cockburn. The winning pointer was making a victorious handicap debut.

“He had a cracking career point-to-pointing, and was on a nice mark,” said the Fife trainer, who plans to return to the Borders track with his charge next month. “I don’t know why he was such a big price – on his pointing form he should almost have been favourite,” he added.

On a good afternoon for Scottish trainers, Yetholm-based Sandy Forster saddled Lowanbehold to clinch the feature handicap chase. “I wanted to run him in the Perth National but thought he wouldn’t get in there,” she explained.

“This race was ideal for him as he crept in with a low weight and loves this track and ground.” The grey carries the colours of her partner Clive Storey, and was ridden to a 5-1 win by Selkirk jockey, Tom Willmott.

It was Tom’s sixth win of the season, who was delighted to have a success at his local track.

Sandy and Clive completed a quickfire double when Charlie Snow Angel won the following two-mile handicap chase in the hands of Hawick jockey Jamie Hamilton.

Jamie’s younger brother, Tom, rode Diamond Brig to lift the prestigious Buccleuch Cup with an impressive success in the maiden hunter chase. The home-bred winner is trained by their mother, Wendy, at Birnieknowe Farm, on the outskirts of Hawick.

“I bred the horse and the jockey,” joked Wendy. “He’s a lovely horse and we should have a lot of fun with him, unless someone comes along with a fat cheque, but it will have to be a big one,” she added. His dam, Lady Brig finished fifth in the same race, while Bronzeknowe won in 1990, and high class chaser Earls Brig was victorious at the track in 1981.

Lucinda Russell and Blair Campbell again proved a winning combination to take the concluding conditional jockeys’ handicap hurdle race with Make It Happen.

“His form is a bit in and out but he does like it here,” said Lucinda. “I hope he’ll keep going through the summer.”