FOLLOWING their highly successful Post Christmas meeting Taunton Racecourse kick off 2022 when they host their Two for One meeting on Monday January 10th, writes Richard Walsh.

The first of the six races on the card which has a very generous prize fund of £61,500 on offer goes to post at 1pm.

To take advantage of the two for one offer tickets need to be purchased on-line in advance before 12 noon on the day prior to raceday by logging onto www.tauntonracecourse.co.uk

The afternoon’s action begins with the Invest Southwest Novices’ Hurdle Race over two miles three furlongs which is followed 30 minutes later by The Broadway and Horton Cricket Club Maiden Hurdler Race over two miles and half a furlong.

The big race on the card is The Simon Stacey Memorial Novices’ Limited Handicap Steeple chase, at 2pm, a Class 3 event over two miles and 12 yards, which has a prize fund of £15,200 up for grabs.

Simon Stacey was a founding partner of the Taunton Racecourse Owners Club and a great supporter of point to point and national hunt racing who sadly passed away in May 2020. He was also Chairman of Broadway and Horton Cricket Club.

The Stables Business Park Handicap Hurdle Race the second Class 3 event on the card, run over two mies and about three furlongs with a total value of £13,200 follows half an hour later.

The Geoffrey Bosley Tally Ho Memorial Open Hunters’ Steeplechase, dedicated to the former Master Huntsman of the West Somerset Foxhounds and run over 2m 7½f, the longest of the day is next up at 3.00pm, before the Taunton Racecourse Business Club Mare’s Handicap Hurdle over two miles and half a furlong brings the curtain down.

Punters are reminded that they need to book their tickets on-line before 12 noon on the day prior to racing to take advantage of the two for one deal and any other discounts available.

A courtesy coach service e departs from Taunton Train Station 90 minutes before the first race and returns half an hour after the start of the last event.

Taunton race next on Saturday January 22nd when they host their Portman Cup Meeting with the first action due to post at 1.05pm.

The feature race that day is the The Portman Cup a Grade 2 steeple chase run over more than three and a half miles and with a whopping prize fund of £50k up for grabs which is expected to attract a top class field of entries.

Racing legend Willie Carson made a surprise guest appearance at the Post Christmas Meeting on Thursday that was attended by a covid limited crowd of 4000 who were treated to another exciting afternoon of national hunt racing action.

Carson , who is now 79 years old was crowned the British Champion Jockey five times, he won 17 British Classic Races, and passed 100 winners in a season 23 times for a total of 3,828 wins, the fourth most successful jockey in Great Britain.

In the early 1980s along with Bill Beaumont, Carson was one of the captains on the immensely popular BBC Question of Sport programme and until BBC ended their coverage of racing he was a regular pundit.