As far as the kids are concerned, October means Halloween. It’s also the month when the clocks go back, of course, but around these parts it’s also considered to be the time when the jumps racing season proper gets under way.

Yes, we all know that the 2019/20 campaign started some six months ago but here in Gloucestershire it’s the first meeting at Cheltenham that signifies to many that the National Hunt season is really up and running.

That meeting is The Showcase, a two-day meeting on Friday and Saturday 25th and 26th October which features seven races on both days.

And it’s a meeting that Mike Edwards, The Local Answer’s racing tipster, certainly enjoys.

“It’s the curtain-raiser for the season,” said Edwards, who lives in Guiting Power. “It’s when the good horses start to come out.

“There will be a bit of cut in the ground and a bit of rain around, that’s when the top trainers start running their horses.”

Racing gets under way at 2pm on both days and Edwards, who has been involved in racing in one way or another for much of the past six decades, added: “This is a big meeting, this is when the season really starts.

“There’ll be a few horses coming over from Ireland – Gordon Elliott will be sending some over – and it always spices things up when there’s a bit of Anglo/Irish rivalry.”

But while some of the bigger names will be out in force at Prestbury Park come the end of October, one of the attractions of The Showcase is that it retains a local feel.

“The November and December meetings are more national,” said Edwards. “This meeting is a chance to meet friends and people you know, especially on the Friday.”

The Showcase meeting is the start of 16 days’ racing at Cheltenham Racecourse with the highlight, as always, the four-day Festival which this year takes place on 10th-13th March.