Plenty to keep us ticking over as we build up to another super Saturday

Bristol De Mai completed the first leg of the £1m Jockey Club drop with his Betfair Chase win but as we wait for the next instalment in the King George on Boxing Day there is plenty of top-class action in the week ahead.

Monday

A quiet start with low-key and small-field meetings at Kempton, with its popular Starlight charity raceday, Musselburgh and Ludlow.

Ante-post punters will learn if they still have a runner in Saturday's Ladbrokes Trophy, formerly the Hennessy, with the five-day acceptors revealed at lunchtime along with the rest of Saturday's second day of the Ladbrokes Winter Carnival.

The same applies to the BetVictor Fighting Fifth at Newcastle on Saturday, for which Champion Hurdle winner Buveur D'Air is odds on to repeat last year's win in the Grade 1.

Tuesday

More of the same with another three meetings, two over jumps at Sedgefield and Lingfield and an all-weather meeting at Southwell.

Sunday's Fairyhouse Grade 1 features will take shape with the forfeits for the baroneracing.com-sponsored card that includes the Royal Bond, Hatton's Grace and Drinmore.

It also happens to be trainer and former England international footballer Mick Channon's 70th birthday, which will be marked by the Racing Post.

Wednesday

Four meetings in Britain and one in Ireland crank up the action midweek with Punchestown leading off timewise.

Hereford and Wetherby race over jumps and Wolverhampton on the all-weather in the afternoon with Newcastle warming up for the weekend with an all-weather meeting under the lights.

Entries are also revealed today for the Caspian Caviar Gold Cup at Cheltenham on December 15.

Thursday

Pricewise's Tom Segal has ante-post advice on the Coral Welsh Grand National on December 27 at Chepstow.

In other big-race news the final declarations for Saturday's two big races at Newcastle and Newbury are revealed.

Warwick racecourse: racing on Thursday, replacing sidelined TowcesterCredit: Getty Images

Remember that crisis-hit Towcester is still not on the roster so its scheduled meeting today has moved to Warwick in the afternoon.

Thurles, Ayr and Taunton complete the afternoon jump racing with Kempton and Chelmsford on the all-weather in the evening.

Friday

Carnival time at Newbury with the start of the two-day Ladbrokes-sponsored meeting, featuring the Grade 2 Long Distance Hurdle which has the 2016 winner and last year's runner-up Unowhatimeanharry and last year's rising star Sam Spinner among the entries.

Doncaster, with a strangely timed ice-cream theme in the race titles, and Limerick in Ireland has the other jumping action with an all-weather meeting at Southwell.

Newcastle opens its mixed two-day meeting with an all-weather card in the evening while Dundalk's winter season under the lights continues in Ireland.

Total Recall (Paul Townend, red) jumps the last before chasing down Whisper (left) to win last year's Ladbrokes Trophy at NewburyCredit: Alan Crowhurst

Saturday

Another action-packed afternoon with Newbury hosting the Ladbrokes Trophy, formerly the Hennessy, and Newcastle the BetVictor Fighting Fifth Hurdle. ITV cameras capture the action from six of the races across the two courses.

Fairyhouse kicks off its big two-day meeting in Ireland and jumping fans have two more meetings at Bangor and Doncaster before a Flat meeting under the lights at Wolverhampton in the evening rounds off the day.

Sunday

Fairyhouse takes the spotlight with Grade 1 after Grade 1 on the baroneracing.com-sponsored card. The Royal Bond, won in the past by the likes of Hurricane Fly, Dunguib, Jezki and Nichols Canyon, is followed by the Hatton's Grace, won for the last two years by Apple's Jade. The Drinmore Novice Chase, won previously by Don Cossack and Valseur Lido, rounds off the Grade 1 action there.

Carlisle and Leicester share the limelight in England.

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