Taunton Racecourse is a National Hunt thoroughbred horse racetrack situated in the small village of Orchard Portman. Racing fans can watch a Taunton races live stream with no subscription fees with this guide.
See below to find out how to access and view the horse racing video stream live from the Taunton course.
1) Sign up to bet365 here if you are not already a member
2) Follow the ‘Live Streaming’ link and open the Schedule where you will see ‘All Sports’ > ‘Horse Racing’
EVERY race in the UK and Ireland is streamed live at bet365. They show all races shown on At The Races and Racing TV.For additional/alternative viewing options, read on below under Legal Live Streams.
You can also watch replays of all UK and Irish races covered by Racing TV and At The Races for free on their Horse Racing Archive at bet365.
Only available to eligible customers. To watch a UK race streamed on At The Races you must have a funded account or have placed a bet in the last 24 hours. To watch any other racing that is not provided by At The Races from a UK track, you must place a qualifying bet of at least £0.50 win or £0.25 Each-Way (or currency equivalent) on your selection(s).Terms & conditions and geographical restrictions apply. Registration required. #ad 18+ gambleaware.co.uk
Taunton Upcoming Live Streamed Races
| Date | Time | Race | Class | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08 JAN 2025 | 12:58 | Stables Business Park Handicap Hurdle | 3 | 2m 3f 1y |
| 08 JAN 2025 | 13:28 | Blackdown Motor Company Maiden Hurdle (GBB Race) | 4 | 2m 104y |
| 08 JAN 2025 | 13:58 | Farmers Friend Novices' Hurdle (GBB Race) | 4 | 2m 3f 1y |
| 08 JAN 2025 | 14:28 | Major Denis Burton Royal Welsh Memorial Novices' Handicap Chase (GBB Race) | 4 | 2m 12y |
| 08 JAN 2025 | 14:58 | Geoffrey Bosley 'Tally Ho' Open Hunters' Chase | 5 | 2m 5f 150y |
| 08 JAN 2025 | 15:28 | Saturday Meeting 20th January Mares' Handicap Hurdle | 5 | 2m 104y |
Established in 1927, Taunton is one of the UK’s youngest racecourses. It actually held the record of newest purpose-built course until 2008 brought the development of the course at Great Leighs.
Racing at Taunton is set against the backdrop of the Blackdown Hills. This is an area of outstanding natural beauty in Britain’s southwest.
Taunton Races Live Stream: Course Layout
Taunton racecourse is one mile and two furlongs in length. Races are run from distances as short as two miles to longer stamina tests over three miles and three furlongs.
A typical day’s racing at Taunton involves a mixture of steeplechase and hurdle races over varying distances.
Occasionally, Taunton hosts National Hunt flat ‘bumper’ races to provide future jumpers the opportunity to accustom themselves to jumps courses.
The track is, rather unusually, run as a right-handed course with a short run-in of 150 yards.
Jockeys have to navigate through four fences and five hurdles at Taunton, as well as some relatively ‘tight and trappy corners’, in the words of rider Aidan Coleman.
It is generally agreed that the layout of the track favours handy types who can manage sharp turns.
According to Coleman, the speed of the third last fence and second last hurdle leading into the home straight tend to catch horses out, often resulting in falls.
The fences are not considered overly stiff by most jockeys, yet the track sees a relatively high amount of fallers. This stems, in part, from the sharpness of the corners and the relatively unproven quality of local horses that contest the majority of the course’s races.
The winter months are typically regarded as more suitable for jumps racing due to softer going. That said, an increase in falls at Taunton has led site officials to reconsider their groundskeeping.
Taunton Course Updated
In 2012, a reservoir was built on the site with a view to softening the ground and thus reducing the risk of injury for fallers.
Officials have also recently chose to update the track surface with Somerset clay soil. This again is a move made in the hopes of reducing casualties.
Taunton has spared no expense in renovating other equally important aspects of the track, which went unchanged for the majority of its short history.
The course underwent extensive renovation in the early 21st century alongside the development of the M5. Earth excavated to clear space for the motorway was repurposed to build up the bends and back straight of the track.
A Brief History of Taunton Races
The course has been home to racing action since the 18th century. The Taunton area has had a colourful and often complex relationship with horseracing. The Broomhay races beginning in 1788 appeared to flourish until the meetings were impeded by several external factors such as the Napoleonic Wars.
Racing continued by the River Parrett in nearby Bridgwater until Edwardian times. This was when the Taunton Races began gaining momentum; According to a contemporary sports magazine writer, between eight and nine thousand people thronged the course for 1825’s August meeting.
With torrential rainfall ruining the course in 1838, operations were soon moved again to Trull Moor. It was where they would remain for fifteen years. Racing continued by the River Parrett until the First World War severely dented the entire British horse racing industry.
It was not until July 1927, when a team of men negotiated a land lease from Viscount Portman to form the Taunton Racecourse Company, that racing at the current location began to take shape.
The Shoreditch Selling Handicap Hurdle was the first official race held at the present site in Orchard Portman. It took place on September 21st, 1927. The race was won by Baalbek, ridden by M Rayson and owned by Mr T Rayson.
The course has been known to host the early tests of decorated future stars. These include 2005 Triumph Hurdle winner Penzance and top two-mile chaser Well Chief.
Oslot, winner of the 2006 Taunton Maiden Hurdle, brought further attention to the track as he went on to win the Galway Plate two years later.
What to Watch: Taunton Calendar Highlights
The racing calendar of Taunton in modern times follows a standard National Hunt season. Racing starts in late October or early November and ends in April.
That is before the summer season which is generally reserved for other variations of the sport such as flat racing.
Take a look at this sample of the action that you can watch on the live stream from Taunton racecourse:
| Month | Meeting | Race |
|---|---|---|
| January | New Year Meeting | Somerset Chamber Of Commerce Maiden Hurdle |
| January | Bathwick Tyres Saturday Meeting | Bathwick Tyres British EBF 'National Hunt' Novices' Hurdle |
| February | Bathwick February Meeting | Bathwick Tyres Yeovil Handicap Hurdle |
| February | February Meeting | C&S Electrical Wholesale Termination Technology Novices' Hurdle |
| March | Afternoon Racing | Court Farm Butchers Maiden Hurdle |
| March | March Meeting | Clarke Wilmott Taunton Maiden Hurdle |
| April | Tote April Meeting | toteplacepot Handicap Hurdle |
| April | Afternoon Racing | racinguk.com Novices' Handicap Chase |
| November | November Meeting | Arthur & Peggy White Memorial Handicap Chase |
| November | Winter Meeting | Taunton Racecourse Owners Club Chase (Novices' Limited Handicap) |
| December | Winter Raceday | Kings College Novices' Hurdle (Div 1) |
| December | New Year's Eve Meeting | toteexacta Handicap Hurdle |
Facilities have improved greatly from the early days of a single wooden hut surrounded in puddles of thick mud to the modern Orchard and Paddock stands.
Indeed, nowadays Taunton advertises itself as both a racecourse and conference centre. The racecourse is held privately under the same company management established in 1927.
Legal Live Streams
The live streams that we feature here on StreamingSport.net are 100% legitimate and legal. There is not much point in taking a risk using one of the low-quality streaming services that abound.
It’s much more important to do things the right way and keep your computer or mobile device free of viruses.
How it Works
We connect you with the leading sites that telecast live streams of horse racing events. They have already paid for the legal rights to broadcast them, so you might as well take advantage of it.
Further Live Stream Options
More legal live streams for horse racing can be found at the following sites. Similar conditions apply (i.e. having a deposit active or a bet in the past 24 hours):
– William Hill
– Betfred
– Coral
Last updated December, 2024
Get warmed up for the live streaming action from Taunton by watching this great footage. The Robe (Warren Marston) [A W Carroll] charges to victory on 26 November 1998 in this classic Maple Juvenile Novices’ Selling Hurdle.
Taunton Races Live Stream FAQs
🎥 Do I need to pay a subscription for the Live Stream?
No, there is no subscription charge. You’ll need to register on the site first, which only takes a minute.
🏇 Are there other races available, too?
Yes, there are many other races that you can watch – just take a look at the schedule.
⌚ When will the race coverage start?
The race coverage begins approximately two to three minutes before the race is scheduled.