Seven meetings run across Britain and Ireland on Monday 26 October: Hereford, Wexford and Galway over jumps, Redcar and Leicester on the Flat, and Kempton and Southwell on the all-weather into the evening. We’ve picked out the four best races of the day and pulled the stats that matter before you bet.

The biggest prizes of the day are at Wexford and Galway, where the Listed Michael Hickey Memorial Chase at 3.05pm and the W.B. Gavin & Co. Handicap Hurdle at 3.20pm are each worth €14,725 to the winner. The richest race in Britain is Redcar’s Class 3 handicap at 2.25pm (£8,100). The going is Soft at Redcar and Wexford, Soft To Heavy at Galway and Standard To Slow at Kempton.

Key Race Schedule For Monday 26th October

Time	Course	Race	Grade	Distance	Runners
2.25pm	Redcar	Jumps Looks Better On Racing TV Handicap	Class 3	7f 219y	10
3.05pm	Wexford	Michael Hickey Memorial Chase	Listed	2m7f	5
3.20pm	Galway	W.B. Gavin & Co. Handicap Hurdle	Handicap	2m5f 200y	14
4.45pm	Kempton	Unibet More Extra Place Races EBF Novice Stakes	Class 3	7f	10

2.25pm Redcar – Jumps Looks Better On Racing TV Handicap

Ten go to post for this Class 3 handicap over 7f 219y on Soft ground, worth £8,100 to the winner, after Ceo Stealth Mode and Freddie Steady Go were taken out. The ratings run from 85 down to 74, a spread of 11lb.

• Top of the ratings: Caim (Edward Bethell, Jason Hart) is top-rated on 85 and is the only filly in the field. She returns after 51 days and her trainer carries a Top Course Trainer flag. Master Richard (Ann Duffield) and Khafiz (Roger Fell) are next on 84.
• C&D winner: Thunder Roar (Tony Coyle & Kaine Wood) is the only course-and-distance winner in the race. He ran at Haydock 10 days ago and is 3lb lower today.
• Course form: Yafaarr (Sam England, P J McDonald) is a three-time course winner and carries 9st 1lb. Naepoint (Richard & Peter Fahey) is 2 from 2 at Redcar and was fourth at Ayr last month.
• In-form jockey: Mark Winn rides Rajapour (David O’Meara) and is 5 from 20 (25%) in the last 14 days. Rajapour carries Hot Jockey and Top Course Jockey flags and ran at Haydock 10 days ago.
• Quick returns and absences: Rajapour, Thunder Roar and Yafaarr all ran 10 days ago. Simon Pierre (Gemma Tutty) is the longest absentee at 93 days and has had a wind operation since his last run.

3.05pm Wexford – Michael Hickey Memorial Chase

Only five run in this Listed chase over 2m7f on Soft ground, worth €14,725 to the winner. Three of the five have been off the track for more than 200 days.

• Graded winner: The Big Westerner (Henry De Bromhead, Darragh O’Keeffe) won a Grade 2 mares’ chase at Limerick in December and returns after 303 days. She is the only mare, carries top weight of 11st 3lb and has Top Course Trainer and Hot Jockey flags.
• Ratings: Bossofthebrownies (M F Morris, Mr J H Williamson) and Rockys Diamond (Declan Queally) are joint top-rated on 139. Bossofthebrownies ran in two graded races last season and returns after 274 days.
• Race form: Rockys Diamond was second in this race last year. He last ran 59 days ago, when he was well beaten over hurdles.
• Elliott runner: The Enabler (Gordon Elliott, Danny Gilligan) is rated 136, won a novice chase at Fairyhouse and ran in the Irish Grand National. He returns after 203 days.
• Race fitness: Sandor Clegane (Paul Nolan) is the most recent runner, having run 13 days ago. He is the lowest rated on 130 and won a beginners’ chase last April.

3.20pm Galway – W.B. Gavin & Co. Handicap Hurdle

Fourteen line up for this handicap hurdle over 2m5f 200y on Soft To Heavy ground, worth €14,725 to the winner. The ratings run from 135 down to 110, a spread of 25lb, and only Teed Up has run in the last five months.

• C&D winner: Sportinthepark (Noel Meade, Sam Ewing) won this race last year off a 5lb lower mark. He is the only C&D winner in the field and returns after 247 days.
• Fenton pair: Philip Fenton is 2 from 2 (100%) in the last 14 days and runs Balko DAnge (Niall Moore) and One Big Boum (Donagh Meyler). Both carry Hot Trainer flags.
• Top weight: Shoot First (C Byrnes, Philip Byrnes) is rated 135 and carries 11st 12lb. He has not run since finishing fourth at Punchestown in December. His trainer is 3 from 11 (27%) in the last 14 days.
• Jockeys in form: Keith Donoghue rides Stumptown (Gavin Cromwell) and is 4 from 13 (31%) in the last 14 days. Jack Kennedy rides Open Secret (Gordon Elliott) and is 4 from 16 (25%).
• Course winner: Teed Up (Emmet Mullins) has won at Galway, steps up in trip and was beaten favourite last time, 85 days ago. Mystic Malina (Daniel G Murphy) was also beaten favourite last time and carries 10st 2lb.

4.45pm Kempton – Unibet More Extra Place Races EBF Novice Stakes

Ten two-year-olds run in the first division of this Class 3 novice over 7f on Standard To Slow ground, worth £7,020 to the winner. Four are newcomers and no runner has won a race. The second division follows at 5.15pm.

• Newcomers: Idealise, King Gamrah, St Peter’s Cross and Sequoiadendron all make their debuts. Idealise (Andrew Balding) is a Frankel half-brother to a 5f winner, and Sequoiadendron (Richard Hannon) cost $35,000 as a yearling.
• In-form jockey: Oisin Murphy rides Idealise and is 12 from 53 (23%) in the last 14 days. He carries Hot Jockey and Top Course Jockey flags.
• C&D experience: Red Wizard (Harry Charlton, Lewis Edmunds) is the only runner to have raced over course and distance, finishing fifth of eight 19 days ago.
• Headgear: Stytch (Alan King, Rossa Ryan) wears a hood for the first time after finishing sixth and eighth in two starts.
• Fillies and absences: India’s Ridge and Sequoiadendron, both trained by Richard Hannon, are the two fillies and carry 9st 2lb, 5lb less than the colts and geldings. Rattenbury (Charles Hills) returns after 147 days.

Trainers and jockeys in form

These strike rates cover the last 14 days, and every name has runners in today’s featured races.

Name	Role	Last 14 days	Featured runners today
Philip Fenton	Trainer	2/2 (100%)	Balko DAnge, One Big Boum (3.20pm Galway)
C Byrnes	Trainer	3/11 (27%)	Shoot First (3.20pm Galway)
Keith Donoghue	Jockey	4/13 (31%)	Stumptown (3.20pm Galway)
Mark Winn	Jockey	5/20 (25%)	Rajapour (2.25pm Redcar)
Jack Kennedy	Jockey	4/16 (25%)	Open Secret (3.20pm Galway)
Oisin Murphy	Jockey	12/53 (23%)	Idealise (4.45pm Kempton)

Key angles

• Course-and-distance winners: Thunder Roar in the 2.25pm at Redcar and Sportinthepark in the 3.20pm at Galway are the only C&D winners in the featured races.
• Fresh horses in Ireland: Thirteen of the 14 at Galway have been off for more than 160 days, and three of the five in the Wexford Listed chase have been off for more than 200 days.
• Hot yard at Galway: Philip Fenton is 2 from 2 in the last 14 days and has two runners in the 3.20pm.
• Testing ground: It is Soft at Redcar and Wexford and Soft To Heavy at Galway, so check each runner’s record on the ground.

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