Key Points
- Which trainers have been consistently profitable in October?
- Who had a fantastic October in 2025?
- Other trainers you should keep an eye on!
My trainers to follow articles are finally back! The last one I published was in June 2026, as I was in hospital during July and early August. I then spent September getting back up to speed with my full quota of betting tips. But as the National Hunt season is just about to kick off, it’s the perfect time to restart.
As the resident horse racing expert at Betting.co.uk, I publish
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I have analysed the Top 50 National Hunt trainers!
When I say I have analysed the Top 50, what I’m referring to are the Top 50 NH trainers who won the most prize money during the 2025/26 season, based on Trainers’ Championship data. In the following sections, I’ll break down what I found.
Which trainers have been consistently profitable in October?
Let’s start with the trainers who have been consistent over the past three years.
#1 Alastair Ralph:
- October 2023 - 2/15 (13%) and +£19.50 to £1 level stakes
- October 2024 - 3/12 (25%) and +£13.50 to £1 level stakes
- October 2025 - 4/10 (40%) and +£8.40 to £1 level stakes
A profitable October three years in a row, with a strike rate that has risen each year. Nine wins from 37 runners and circa +£41.00 to £1 level stakes.
#2 Sam Thomas:
- October 2023 - 4/11 (36%) and +£4.45 to £1 level stakes
- October 2024 - 3/11 (27%) and +£13.50 to £1 level stakes
- October 2025 - 3/7 (43%) and +£1.16 to £1 level stakes
Another who is 3/3 in terms of producing profit in October. Low volume but a very healthy strike rate!
#3 Henry De Bromhead:
- October 2023 - 2/7 (29%) and +£21.00 to £1 level stakes
- October 2024 - 1/7 (14%) and +£5.00 to £1 level stakes
- October 2025 - 1/4 (25%) and +£7.00 to £1 level stakes
Henry is an Irish raider rather than a UK domiciled trainer. The last three years have seen him produce a record of 4/18 (22%) with a profit to £1 level stakes of £33.00, suggesting there is value in the prices of his runners when he travels across the Irish Sea.
Who had a fantastic October in 2025?
Next up, it’s the trainers who don’t necessarily have a consistent October record, but fired in 2025!
#1 Olly Murphy:
- October 2023 - 9/37 (24%) and +£2.05 to £1 level stakes
- October 2024 - 10/56 (18%) and -£5.73 to £1 level stakes
- October 2025 - 18/44 (41%) and +£44.64 to £1 level stakes
Olly Murphy has plenty of runners and fires in many winners early in the season. However, last year he had an exceptional October with a strike rate of 41% and a £1 level stakes profit of £44.64. Can he back it up in 2026?
#2 Anthony Honeyball:
- October 2023 - 3/14 (21%) and -£3.00 to £1 level stakes
- October 2024 - 3/7 (43%) and +£6.83 to £1 level stakes
- October 2025 - 6/22 (27%) and +£11.50 to £1 level stakes
I like the trending of Anthony’s numbers, with increasing profitability each year. Can he maintain the momentum of the past three years into 2026? Well, he is already 1/1 (100%) for October 2026, which is a great start! !
#3 Fergal O’Brien:
- October 2023 - 6/56 (11%) and -£20.17 to £1 level stakes
- October 2024 - 8/59 (14%) and -£24.29 to £1 level stakes
- October 2025 - 13/63 (21%) and +£9.41 to £1 level stakes
As you can see, 2023 and 2024 were poor, but the strike rate improved and 2025 was nicely profitable to level stakes. It is also worth noting that in the last three years, Fergal has recorded 12, 7 and 8 second places, which would have vastly improved his numbers if those horses had gone one better.
Other trainers you should keep an eye on!
Make sure to keep an eye on these trainers, who don’t fit either of the previous categories.
#1 Nigel & Willy Twiston-Davies:
- October 2023 - 16/53 (30%) and +£15.24 to £1 level stakes
- October 2024 - 16/59 (27%) and +£6.78 to £1 level stakes
- October 2025 - 15/63 (24%) and -£12.89 to £1 level stakes
This pair has had an impressive strike rate in October over the past three years, although that didn’t result in a profit in 2025. It is worth noting they had 8, 12 and 11 second places in the last three years, which will have swayed the figures dramatically. The stable are also in great form with 7/20 (35%) and +£10.08 in September 2026 and 2/4 (50%) for October 2026 already, with their two other runners both finishing second.
#2 James Owen:
- October 2023 - 3/17 (18%) and -£6.50 to £1 level stakes
- October 2024 - 10/25 (40%) and +£19.24 to £1 level stakes
- October 2025 - 8/43 (19%) and -£22.94 to £1 level stakes
James Owen had an exceptional October in 2024. At surface level, his 2025 was poor but it is worth noting that he had 14 second places, so he could just as easily have had a great month. He has started strongly in 2026 with 2/6 (33%) in 2026 already!
#3 Nick Scholfield:
- July 2026 - 4/16 (25%) and +£15.00 to £1 level stakes
- August 2026 - 3/16 (19%) and +£6.38 to £1 level stakes
- September 2026 - 4/20 (20%) and -2.00 to £1 level stakes
Nick is a new trainer on the scene. As such he doesn’t have any historic October data, so I have shown his record over the past three months instead. As you can see, he is punching above his weight in terms of strike rate, and he is +£19.35 to £1 level stakes, suggesting his runners are underestimated and overpriced.
Which trainers should you be watching in October 2026?
Ultimately, you want to know which trainers you should be following in October 2026, so here goes. Alastair Ralph, Sam Thomas, and Henry De Bromhead have shown a profit year on year, so they are all worth following. Olly Murphy, Anthony Honeyball, and Fergal O’Brien all had a fantastic October 2025, but didn’t do so well in 2023 and 2024. As such, October 2026 could go either way.
Nigel & Willy Twiston-Davies and James Owen need to bounce back from lesser results last October, but both have done well in October previously, and have started strongly this year. Nick Scholfield is also worth noting as the new kid on the block who has had a productive summer, operating at +£19.35 to £1 level stakes across the past three months.
If I had to nail it down to three yards for October 2026, I would say Alastair Ralph, Olly Murphy and Nigel & Willy Twiston-Davies. Many of you might be wondering where Dan Skelton is, but he is -£32.30, -£50.23 and -£20.89 for October in the last three years. This is not due to a lack of winners, with 12, 22 and 16 recorded respectively, but it suggests they were overbacked and/or underpriced, and therefore not well supported.
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