Taunton, Thursday 9 April 2026 | Good Going | 7-Race Card

Taunton, Thursday 9 April 2026 | Good Going | 7-Race Card

A midweek card at Taunton on good ground, and while the fields are small, there are angles worth following across three of the featured races. Paul Nicholls has runners in the two biggest contests and his yard is ticking over at 6/22 in the last 14 days. Not spectacular, but not cold either. The going suits a few horses here that have been waiting for a drier surface after a winter of soft and heavy. Let's get into it.

4:15 — Stables Business Park Handicap Chase (3m4½f)

Six runners over a marathon trip, and the race looks to revolve around two horses. The each-way market is two places at a quarter odds, which limits the appeal of backing outsiders for a place.

Anytrixwilldo is the selection at 7/2 (Bet365, William Hill). The angle here is straightforward: he won this exact race 12 months ago, in first-time cheekpieces, off a mark 3lb lower than today. He goes again with cheekpieces presumably in place, has been running consistently since, and his second at Ludlow in February over 3m on good to soft reads as a solid prep. The Jonjo and AJ O'Neill yard is only 2/27 in the last 14 days, which is the one concern, but this horse clearly retains affection for the track and the race. Course-and-distance form in a small-field handicap chase is hard currency.

Always Busy at 7/4 is the market leader and he ran well at Southwell eight days ago, finishing second. The step up in trip from 3m to 3m4.5f is unproven, and at 7/4 you are being asked to take that risk on faith. Christian Williams is 2/12 in the last 14 days. Interesting, but not the value pick.

Wicked Thoughts (Paul Nicholls, Freddie Gingell) won on this course over 2m7f in November and came back here last month for a third-place effort. The step up to 3m4.5f is a significant unknown, and at 11/4 he feels skinny until that question is answered.

Tip: Anytrixwilldo — 7/2 (Bet365/William Hill)

4:50 — Stag Environmental Polaris Handicap Hurdle (3m)

Four runners, so no each-way play here. This shapes up as a two-horse race between the favourite and the Nicholls mare.

Inferno Sacree is the 11/10 favourite (Bet365, Unibet) and the form book backs him up fully. He won over course and distance at Taunton in February on good to soft, then followed up at Plumpton last month over 3m1f. Back-to-back wins, progressive profile as a stayer, and the step to good ground should not inconvenience him given he handles a range of conditions. Nigel Hawke is 1/5 in the last 14 days, which is modest, but this horse is clearly in the form of his life and the handicapper has not yet had the chance to shut him down. The tongue-tie and cheekpieces on Just A Rose suggest connections are searching for a solution to a horse that pulled up twice. At 11/10 Inferno Sacree is short, but he looks the right result here.

Just A Rose won here on debut over a shorter trip in January 2025, but two pull-ups since then are hard to overlook. The headgear could spark something, but at 9/4 you are paying a premium for potential rather than form.

Tip: Inferno Sacree — 11/10 (Bet365/Unibet)

5:20 — Mike's Seventieth Birthday Celebration Handicap Chase (2m7f)

Eight runners (with Fat Sam a non-runner, effectively seven), three places at a fifth of the odds. A proper betting heat.

Hall Lane Each-Way at 9/2 (Bet365, William Hill) is the each-way pick. Freddie Gingell rides for Fergal O'Brien, who is 4/26 in the last fortnight. The key line in the form is his runner-up finish at Huntingdon over 2m7f on good ground last month, which mirrors today's trip and conditions almost exactly. He runs off the same mark as that effort. The comment notes both wins came for Alan King, so the O'Brien yard is still settling him in, but that Huntingdon run suggests he has adapted. At 9/2 in a race with three places paid out, this looks a fair each-way price.

Mcgregors Charge is 15/8 favourite on a stable debut for Kayley Woollacott. He won at Perth off 9lb lower than today's mark, and his last run was a pull-up at Hexham in October. Six months off, new stable, raised mark. The market has latched onto him but the unknowns are significant. He could be anything, but 15/8 is short for a first run in new colours with that layoff.

Gata Ban at 4/1 has had wind surgery and been dropped another 5lb, but the form since her chase debut has been poor. School For Scandal has course-and-distance form and may come alive on this better ground at 9/1, worth a small interest, but Hall Lane is the more reliable vehicle for an each-way play.

Tip: Hall Lane each-way — 9/2 (Bet365/William Hill)

Today's NAP