REDCAR salutes one of the most successful trainers in its 150-year history by staging the Sam Hall Memorial Handicap on Friday.

Middleham-based Hall (pictured below), who died in 1977, amassed a huge haul of winners at Redcar during his illustrious career, including five victories in the Zetland Gold Cup and three successive Andy Capp Handicaps.

This year’s renewal of the race, run in his honour, is a competitive affair, but it may be worth siding with popular rider Hayley Turner, who is aiming for a hat-trick of winning visits to the seaside track.

She won on the David Simcock-trained Kaif at the September 21 meeting (pictured below), then returned at the last meeting, on October 1, to land the Racing TV Straight-Mile Series Final Handicap on Belhaven, trained at Newmarket by Harry Eustace.

Turner teams up with Eustace again when she rides Claritudo (pictured below) in the Sam Hall race. The Nathaniel gelding, who stayed on strongly under George Wood to win over the course and distance at the end of May, is Turner's only booked ride of the day, so it would be no surprise to see the combination back in the winner’s enclosure at decent odds.

The eight-race card gets underway at 1.25pm with the Join Racing TV Now Claiming Stakes for two-year-olds. The powerful William Haggas stable has a good strike rate at Redcar and Day Member could break her maiden. The Twilight Son filly was staying on inside the final furlong when fifth of 13 at Ayr last time and Adam Farragher takes off a very useful five pounds.

The market is likely to be the best guide to the Yorkshire Jump Racing Is Back EBF Novice Stakes, with Roger Varian’s Starspangledbanner colt Tawafag – a 62,000 guineas yearling and €160,000 two-year-old – making his debut under Andrea Atzeni.

Of those with form, Quintus Arrius, trained in North Yorkshire by Kevin Ryan and ridden by Shane Gray, makes most appeal after his promising debut at Ayr, when he finished well to be second after a tardy start.

Atzeni also has strong claims in division one of the Market Cross Jewellers British EBF Restricted Novice Stakes when he teams up with Middleham trainer Ed Bethell to ride Lerwick, owned by former Redcar chairman, Lord Zetland. The colt has shown plenty of ability in finishing second on both starts so far – firstly at Ripon and then at Pontefract – and this could be his chance to get his nose in front.

Division two looks to be at the mercy of Playupskyblues, trained at Newmarket by Alice Haynes and ridden by Kieran O’Neill. The Kodiac gelding improved from his first run at Goodwood to be a decent third at Yarmouth at the end of August.

Malton trainer Tim Easterby is having another fine season and his Tar Heel, ridden by David Allan, could be the answer to the Best Flat Races Live On RacingTV Handicap. The gelding broke a long losing streak, stretching back to August 2020, when striding clear to win at Ayr a week ago, and is worth sticking with while in such good heart.

Whatever the fate of Tawafag, his debutante earlier on the card, Newmarket trainer Roger Varian should be in pole position with Prakasa in the Every Race Live On Racing TV Novice Stakes. The filly, by The Ghurka and running in the familiar colours of Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum, won comfortably at Kempton last time following a narrow second on her debut at Southwell. She looks the likely winner providing she transfers her all-weather form to the Redcar turf.

The final race is the Watch Racing Replays At racingtv.com Handicap for female amateur jockeys. Bearwith (pictured below), trained in East Yorkshire by Harriet Bethell, stayed on strongly to win over the course and distance in July and is a great first ride for Hannah Dring.

However, preference is for Bigbadboy, trained in West Yorkshire by Clive Mulhall and ridden by the more experience Alice Stephens, following the gelding’s promising third of 16 at Thirsk last month.

• Main picture: Hayley Turner after winning the Racing TV Straight-Mile Series Final Handicap on Belhaven at the last Redcar meeting