2:55 Wetherby
The 2026 renewal of the Bet365 Charlie Hall Steeple Chase is a high-quality Grade 2 contest over three miles at Wetherby on good ground. A compact but competitive field of six features several established high-class chasers, four of whom share strong recent form and proven ability at the trip. The KTB Fit Scores are tightly bunched at the top, with Pic D'orhy and Twinjets both rated 66, underlining that this looks a race of genuine depth where class, course affinity and run-style will all play their part.
How the race shapes up
With four confirmed front-runners in the line-up and the pace shape assessed as strong with high confidence, the race is likely to be run at a searching gallop from the outset. Pic D'orhy, Twinjets, The Real Whacker and Handstands all tend to race prominently or make the running, which raises the strong possibility that the pace will prove too hot and collapse in the latter stages. That scenario would hand a significant advantage to hold-up performers, placing the key question on whether any of the prominent quartet can dictate and still have enough left in reserve to repel late challengers.
The KTB Fit ranking
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1Pic D'orhy66/100
Pic D'orhy is a high-class performer who has been placed in his last three completed starts and ran a solid second here over further on his only previous visit to Wetherby. He drops back to 3m today having been placed without winning at the trip, and he holds strong figures on good ground with seven wins from twelve starts. Both trainer and jockey record above their usual strike rates at this track, with Dan Skelton boasting 28% at Wetherby from 360 runs and Harry Skelton 30% from 265 rides. The 11-year-old's official rating of 162 makes him the highest-rated in the field on paper, while his recent form figures of /2323- confirm consistent high-level placed efforts. As a habitual front-runner he is sure to be prominent from the start in what is expected to be a strongly-run affair.
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2Twinjets KTB Selection66/100
Twinjets is a high-class performer who arrives off the back of solid recent form including two wins. He steps up in trip today having already won over this distance once from just two attempts, while he also holds a respectable record on good ground. The yard's 26% strike rate at Wetherby is in line with their overall figure and the jockey matches that pattern with his own 13% here. Paul Nicholls and Harry Cobden team up with a combined 24% strike rate on the card, and the nine-year-old's recent form figures of 1UP21- underline his progressive profile. Stepping up in class, he is expected to race prominently given his front-running tendencies with high confidence, and he could be ideally placed to capitalise if the strong pace collapses late.
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3The Real Whacker63/100
The Real Whacker is a high-class performer who has won at this track and at today's trip. Recent form of 56P-31 shows clear signs of a return to his best after a patchy spell. Trainer and jockey both operate at a 13% strike rate here at Wetherby, with Patrick Neville recording that figure from 16 runs and Brian Hughes from a much larger sample of 878 rides. The 10-year-old's official rating of 153 looks competitive, and his course record of one win from two starts adds to his appeal. Another horse who tends to make the running or race on the pace, he will be right up there early in a race that is set to be strongly contested from the front.
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4Handstands62/100
Handstands is a high-class performer who arrives off an official rating of 153 and has solid recent form including a second and a third. He drops back in trip to 3m today where he is 1 from 1, and he has won on good ground from two starts. Trainer at Wetherby holds a 15% strike rate from 72 runs in line with their record elsewhere, while the jockey is operating at 33% from nine rides. The seven-year-old's recent form figures of /243P- show useful placed efforts prior to his last run, and he will be another to take a keen interest in the early fractions. With four front-runners declared, his prominent racing style could leave him vulnerable if the pace proves unsustainable.
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5Riskintheground60/100
Riskintheground is a high-class performer with a solid recent record including a win and two places from his last four starts. He steps up to 3m for the first time in a while but has won at the trip before and holds a strong record on good ground with six wins from 20 starts. The Dan Skelton-trained gelding is the sole hold-up performer in the field, which could prove significant given the strong pace shape, though he steps up in class and the yard-jockey combination shows a 12% strike rate on the card.
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6Hitman48/100
Hitman is a high-class performer with an official rating of 152 and a solid career record that includes useful placed efforts on good ground. He steps up to 3m for the first time today having failed to win on his one previous try at the distance, while this is also his first run at Wetherby. The Paul Nicholls-trained 10-year-old will race prominently given his high-confidence prominent run-style, though the jockey has a 0% strike rate from two rides at the track.
KTB verdict
Twinjets is named the KTB Selection and looks to have the ideal profile for this strongly-run Grade 2. A high-class performer with two recent wins in his form, he has already shown he can win over three miles and possesses a respectable record on good ground. The prominent run-style of the selection should see him involved in the early battle, yet his proven stamina gives him every chance of seeing it out when others tire. Pic D'orhy, with the highest official rating and a strong placed record including a course second, is the most obvious danger, while The Real Whacker's course win and signs of a return to form make him another major player. Handstands and the hold-up Riskintheground complete a competitive field where the pace promises to be the defining factor.
KTB Selection Twinjets
Early prices
The best price per runner across the bookmakers we track, each as first seen (UK time). Every runner had a price by 12:03am, 31 Oct. Prices move — see the live racecard for current prices.
| Runner | Early price | Bookmaker, time |
|---|---|---|
| Pic D'orhy | 11/8 | William Hill, 12:00am |
| Twinjets | 11/2 | William Hill, 12:00am |
| The Real Whacker | 9/2 | William Hill, 12:00am |
| Handstands | 7/2 | Bet365, 12:00am |
| Riskintheground | 30/1 | 7Bet, 12:00am |
| Hitman | 12/1 | William Hill, 12:00am |
This is the narrative read of the 2:55 Wetherby. For the live card — runner-by-runner stats, the full Fit Score breakdown and current odds — see the Wetherby racecard. Every result we hold for the track is on the Wetherby results & records page. How favourites, trainers, jockeys and the draw have fared here over the last five years is on the Wetherby racecourse statistics page. New here? How KTB works explains the Fit Score and why we publish both.
Questions about this race
Which horse is the only one likely to be held up in this race?
Riskintheground is the only hold-up performer, usually producing his effort late.
How many of the runners are habitual front-runners?
Four runners — Pic D'orhy, Twinjets, The Real Whacker and Handstands — tend to make the running or race on the pace.
Which horse has the highest official rating in the field?
Pic D'orhy has the highest official rating of 162.
Which trainer has the best strike rate at Wetherby among those represented?
Dan Skelton has a 28% strike rate at Wetherby from 360 runs.
Has Twinjets won over today's trip before?
Yes, Twinjets has won over this distance once from two attempts.
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