Taunton Racing Odds Today: Racecards, Results and Fixtures

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Taunton Racing Odds Today

This page has today's Taunton race card, live Taunton racing results, upcoming fixtures and our Taunton racing tips, along with a full guide to Somerset's jump racing venue.

Taunton Racecourse is at Orchard Portman, about two miles south of the town at the foot of the Blackdown Hills, and just off the M5. It's a National Hunt course that races from November to April, and it's a favourite with Somerset's big training yards, especially Paul Nicholls, who often runs promising young horses here.

Taunton Racecards for Today

The Taunton race card today shows every runner and rider along with recent form, the latest odds and race times. It updates from final declarations right up to the off, so non-runners, going changes and any inspection news show as soon as they're announced. Taunton racing results are added as each race is settled, and tomorrow's Taunton race card appears once declarations close.

Taunton Race Course Fixtures 2026

Taunton's 2026/27 season starts in November and runs through to April. Here are the remaining Taunton race meetings for 2026:

The season continues into 2027, with the Portman Cup Raceday on 9 February, a Family Fun Day on 8 April and Ladies Day on 21 April.

Taunton Racing Tips

If you're looking for Taunton racing tips for today, here are some general tips to keep in mind for the track:

• Favour speed over stamina: Taunton is a flat, right-handed oval with two long straights and two tight bends. It generally suits faster horses that travel well, rather than out-and-out stayers.
• Trust the favourite: Favourites have a remarkable record at Taunton. They've won around 50% of non-handicaps, including 53% of non-handicap hurdles and 54% of non-handicap chases, and around 36% of handicaps. Those are very high figures for jump racing.
• Follow Paul Nicholls: Paul Nicholls has trained 188 winners at Taunton at a 29% strike rate, which is more than twice as many as any other trainer. He often gives future stars an early run here, as he did with Al Ferof, Irving and Saphir Du Rheu.
• Back Harry Cobden: Harry Cobden is Taunton's leading jockey, with 89 winners at a 28% strike rate. He's usually on the Nicholls runners, so it's a combination worth noting.
• Watch the ground early and late in the season: Taunton is built on heavy clay, which can bake hard in dry spells. Meetings have been lost to firm ground in both November 2025 and April 2025, and chases are sometimes replaced with hurdles. Check the going and any inspection news before betting.
• Look for local trainers: Somerset and West Country yards, including Philip Hobbs & Johnson White, David Pipe, Harry Fry and Jeremy Scott, all have strong records here.

Taunton Race Course Guide

The Taunton race course is a right-handed oval of about a mile and a quarter, with two long straights and two tight bends. It's essentially flat, so it's a speed test rather than a stamina test, and horses that hold a good position around the bends tend to have the advantage. The back straight and bends were extended using land from the M5 motorway works.

There are both plain fences and open ditches on the chase course. The straights give fluent jumpers the chance to build momentum, while the tight bends punish horses that are badly placed or slow to quicken.

Position and Going

There are no starting stalls in jump racing, so the draw doesn't apply at Taunton. Because of the tight bends, though, a prominent position and a spot on the inside are a real advantage, and it can be hard to make up ground from the back.

Taunton's going changes a lot through the season. The heavy clay soil can turn soft or heavy in midwinter, but in dry spells it bakes hard. The course has an irrigation system, but in drought conditions it can't always save a fixture.

In November 2025, the opening meeting was lost to firm ground despite more than 80mm of watering, and in April 2025 a fixture was cancelled after just 6mm of rain in five weeks.

Big Races at Taunton

• Portman Cup (February): The Portman Cup is a chase over about three and a half miles and the biggest race of the Taunton season. The 2027 Portman Cup Raceday is on 9 February.
• Peterborough Chase (2017): In 2017, Taunton hosted the Grade 2 Peterborough Chase when it was moved from Huntingdon, and Top Notch won it for Nicky Henderson.
• Ladies Day and Family Fun Day (April): The spring Ladies Day and Family Fun Day are among the most popular fixtures of the season.

History

Racing took place in the Taunton area from the 18th century at several different sites. The current course at Orchard Portman opened on 21 September 1927, on land granted by Viscount Portman, and the first race was won by Baalbek. It was the last new racecourse to open in Britain until Great Leighs in 2008. Early meetings were sometimes disrupted by flooding.

Today the course has three stands, the Orchard Stand, the Paddock Stand and the AP McCoy Stand, and it's run by Taunton Racecourse Ltd.

Top Trainers and Jockeys at Taunton

Paul Nicholls is by far the leading trainer at Taunton with 188 winners. Philip Hobbs (77) and David Pipe (56) are next. Venetia Williams and Nicky Henderson both have strike rates above 20% from fewer runners.

Harry Cobden leads the jockeys with 89 winners at 28%, well ahead of Sam Twiston-Davies and Richard Johnson, who both have 40. Noel Fehily also had a 22% strike rate at the course. Source: IrishRacing.com.

Visiting Taunton Racecourse

Taunton Racecourse is at Orchard Portman, Taunton, Somerset, TA3 7BL. Leave the M5 at Junction 25 and follow the signs for the racecourse, which is on the B3170 about two miles south of the town centre.

Taunton railway station is about four miles away. On race days, a courtesy bus leaves from the station's main ticket office entrance 90 minutes before the first race and returns 30 minutes after the start of the last race.

Taunton races tickets can be bought online through the racecourse website. There's no public bus service to the course, so if you're not using the courtesy bus, a car or taxi is the easiest option.

Watching Taunton Racing Live

Every Taunton meeting is shown live on Racing TV. Many bookmakers also offer free live streams to customers who have a funded account or have placed a bet on the race.

Bookmakers for Taunton Races

All the major bookmakers price up every Taunton race. Favourites win so often here that it's worth comparing prices on the market leaders. Look for Best Odds Guaranteed, and extra places on bigger handicaps such as the Portman Cup.

Taunton Racing FAQs

Is Taunton racing on today?

Taunton races from November to April. Check the fixtures table above, and if there's racing today, the race card and race times appear at the top of this page.

Why are Taunton races cancelled on dry ground?

Taunton is built on heavy clay, which bakes hard in dry weather. When there's too little rain, even heavy watering can't always make the ground safe. That's why meetings were lost in April 2025 and November 2025.

When does the Taunton season start?

The 2026/27 season starts with the Opening Raceday on Thursday 12 November 2026.

Is there racing at Taunton on 30 December?

Yes. The BoyleSports New Year's Raceday takes place on Wednesday 30 December 2026.

Where can I find Taunton racing results?

Taunton racing results are added to this page as each race is settled, including the winners and starting prices. Results from earlier meetings stay available afterwards.

Is there flat racing at Taunton?

No. Taunton stages National Hunt racing only.