Greetings all.
Summer soon goes by and autumn is well and truly here.
Attention now turns to Taunton’s first meeting of the season on Thursday, 13th November.
The weather gods have not been kind to West Country tracks, with abandonments at Exeter and Wincanton for the opening fixtures of their seasons.
As I write, Taunton itself has received only 44mm of rain in the last month, 33mm of that in the past week.
That has helped, but the ground remains plenty firm underneath, and the team has been watering as much as resources allow.
Nothing beats Mother Nature, sadly, we’re still in need of further intervention on that front and three more weeks like the last would be ideal, please.
Taunton will host 13 meetings this time around and is delighted to have secured continued support from both long-standing and new sponsors, ensuring competitive racing with decent prize money.
The highlight of the season is the Twixmas meeting on the 30th December, featuring the Byerley Stud Mares’ Listed Hurdle.
As usual, there is a strong programme of novice and maiden hurdles throughout the season that will attract some quality horses from the wealth of powerful local stables.
The likes of Golden Ace, Rubaud, JPR One, and French Ship, among many others, have all been successful as novices at Orchard Portman.
We have already seen the Chepstow Season Opener Festival, and last weekend Cheltenham and Aintree got their seasons underway.
Highlights included a first Cheltenham win for the Hobbs/White combination with French Ship; Anthony Honeyball enjoying a Cheltenham/Aintree weekend double with Leave of Absence and Jordon’s Cross; Paul Nicholls firing in a treble on Sunday, including the Old Roan Chase with the admirable Hitman under Freddie Gingell; and last but not least, Joe Tizzard saddling a 100/1 winner for the Colin Tizzard Racing Club — a story that will be dined out on by those involved for years to come.
All of the above bodes well for a strong West Country presence in the season ahead.
As it currently stands, the first race on the 13th November, marking the start of the Taunton season, is scheduled for 1.07pm.
All details, including early bird admission rates and a courtesy bus from the train station, can be found on the website: www.tauntonracecourse.co.uk.
It will be great to get the season underway — here’s to some excellent racing and a few winners along the way!
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