GLOBETROTTING Tom Marquand has vowed to chase the jockeys' championship again this season and he has star billing at Redcar’s competitive Easter Monday meeting.

Marquand has enjoyed a successful winter in Japan, followed by glamorous rides in Dubai and Australia, but it’s back to the championship grind with a drive north to Redcar for a strong book of rides.

“Being champion jockey is a goal very much at the forefront of my mind,” said Marquand on his return to the UK, having finished third in the title race last season.

He’s certainly bang in form, scoring a treble for William Haggas at last week’s prestigious Craven meeting at Newmarket, and it will be a surprise if he leaves the North East without a winner or two on Redcar’s eight-race card.

He kicks off for Haggas on newcomer Earthwatch, an 88,000 guineas yearling, in the opening racingtv.com Novice Stakes and it’s worth nothing that the powerful Newmarket trainer had three entries in the race up until declarations on Saturday.

The market will be the best guide to Earthwatch’s chances, and the danger looks to be Roger Varian’s Too Darn Hot filly, Jenubiyah, a December third at Kempton on her only start.

Marquand has another strong chance on Media Mogul for Lambourn trainer Ed Walker in the Market Cross Jewellers Handicap. The gelding got off the mark over a mile and a half at Wolverhampton last month, despite hanging badly, and steps up to a mile and six.

Richard Hannon provides Marquand with two other attractive rides with Circe and Fregola making the long journey from Wiltshire.

Circe kicked off her 2025 campaign by finishing a promising fourth of 14 under Marquand’s wife, Hollie Doyle, at Doncaster’s curtain-raiser to the flat last month, and will be a leading contender for the Flat Is Back On Racing TV handicap.

That said, Tim Easterby’s Cruyff Turn (pictured below) is a Redcar specialist, with three career wins at the track, and he ran well to be fourth to George Boughey’s Classic Encounter at Redcar’s opening fixture.

Fregola goes in the Watch Race Replays At racingtv.com Handicap after performing creditably to be third in a Bath handicap earlier this month. However, it may be worth taking a chance with Sanbona, trained near Darlington by Michael Dods. David Metcalfe’s gelding pulled too hard at Redcar’s first meeting of the year but showed marked improvement when fitted with a visor for the first time at Pontefract last week. With the headgear retained, he’s given another crack at breaking his duck.

Rhythm Master has tumbled down the ratings since the days when he was running in Group races like the Greenham Stakes and Jersey Stakes as a three-year-old, but he looked like he was coming into form when second to Alzahir at Thirsk last week. Now trained by Geoff Harker with Sam James back in the saddle, he could go one better in the Marske Fabrication & Engineering Handicap (for four-year-olds and over).

Despite missing the break, Tim Easterby’s Flamborough Head (pictured below) kept on well to win at Redcar’s first meeting of the season and seeks to defy a penalty under David Allan in the Marske Fabrication & Engineering Handicap (for three-year-olds).

Redcar loves supporting local charities and the track is celebrating 60 years of Cleveland Mountain Rescue, with an anniversary race that’s divided into two heats.

In Division One of the Celebrating 60 Years of Cleveland Mountain Rescue Handicap, Mrs Trump catches the eye as another Redcar specialist, having won twice at the track in 2024. Paul Midgley’s mare (pictured below) is back down to her last winning mark at Redcar last August and has the same ground conditions, along with the strong assistance of David Nolan.

Brian The Snail, trained on Merseyside by Patrick Morris, is an 11-year-old veteran these days but has been rated as high as 102 in the past. He’s down to a mark of 55 but the son of Zebedee showed he still has plenty of spring in his step when a strong finishing third over five furlongs at Nottingham a week ago after being outpaced early on.

With Paul Mulrennan in the saddle, he has an extra furlong to get into his stride in Division Two of the Cleveland Mountain Rescue race.

Gates open to the public at 11.25, with the first race off at 1.25pm.