Guide to Exeter Racecourse
Exeter is a re-branding of the old Devon & Exeter track that has been racing in differing forms for around 350 years. Perched atop Haldon Hill and overlooking (on clear days) the strange but magnificent scenery of Dartmoor, at 850 feet above sea level it is the highest course in Britain. Some locals still refer to it as Haldon Racecourse, it’s the original name.
2019 saw the 250th anniversary of the first Jockey Club approved meeting held on the original Haldon Hill course. Situated just outside Exeter on the A38 Plymouth to Exeter road, its status has improved enormously over the past two decades and now has obvious claims to be the premier track in the southwest of England. It only holds meetings from October to May but racing can be of a very high standard for a course off the beaten track.
Highlights: The highlight is the Haldon Gold Cup, a class 2 chase over 2 ¼ miles run in early November. The race has not only been won by some famous horses like Best Mate, Viking Flagship and Azertyioup, but others such as Cue Card have also used this as an introduction to a new season.
Both Desert Orchid and Best Mate made their chasing debuts here and it is classed as one of the fairest courses in the country, particularly for novices. Unfortunately, Best Mate also died here after suffering a heart attack during the 2005 renewal of the race.
The course also hosts its own national which is run in February of each year, the Devon National has proved a popular prep race for the Midlands Grand National.
Type of Racing: National Hunt Only
TV Channel: Racing TV
Bookmaker Streaming Services Available from Betfair, Bet 365.
If you are off to the races at Exeter today then why not download the OLBG app to keep up to date with all the latest Exeter tips from OLBG tipsters?
* All statistics below are based on the previous five years at Exeter
Exeter Outright Favourite Statistics
- Handicap Chases: 39-132 (30%) -10.65
- Handicap Hurdles: 46-138 (33%) -0.82
- Non-Handicap Chases: 24-39 (62%) +5.66
- Non-Handicap Hurdles: 61-118 (52%) +1.02
How to get the best Exeter tips
It is the longest NH track in Britain and second-longest to Pontefract overall, the going used to vary from one extreme to the other as there was no artificial watering system but now limited watering can take place in very dry spells.
The fences are relatively easy but the uneven spacing creates a challenge. The bends tend to be sweeping, which despite the undulations makes it fair for most types of horses.
However, stamina is required when the ground is very testing, and horses that can’t cope with very firm underfoot conditions may have a problem during dry spells.
West Country trainers Paul Nicholls, Philip Hobbs, and Colin Tizzard farm the bigger races at Exeter. Take notice when Evan Williams sends a horse from his Glamorgan stable.
Check above the brilliant OLBG members tips who have researched today's races at Exeter.
Exeter Jockey & Trainer Statistics
Who are the best national hunt jockeys and trainers to bet on at Exeter?
Following N J Henderson would have returned a profit here at Exeter with an LSP of +3.51 and their sixteen winners have them at the head of the profitable trainers' list. P F Nicholls does lead the trainers' list overall with thirty-nine winners but shows an overall loss. T Lacey is the trainer to follow at Exeter if you are backing eachway as they show the best LSP of all the trainers in the eachway markets, that is +105.77 which is courtesy of their fourteen placings (four winners). The trainer with the worst record at Exeter based on LSP is D E Pipe who has only a 9% strike rate with fifteen winners from one hundred seventy-five runners which have returned an LSP of -71.54.
Whilst Harry Cobden is the most successful jockey at Exeter with a total of thirty-two winners, if you backed all of their rides you would be showing a loss. Bryan Carver is the most successful jockey at Exeter for those who show a profit if backing all their rides thanks to a total of twenty winners and an LSP of +53.12. When looking at jockeys and looking for some eachway value at Exeter, then the jockey who shows the best eachway profit is Stan Sheppard, that LSP is +143.22 which has been accumulated by a total of twenty placings which includes five winners. T J O'Brien does not have a great record at Exeter, their LSP of -56.83 has them stone dead bottom of the jockeys' list, which has come from nine winners from ninety-one rides which is a 10% strike rate.
Exeter Picks & Hints
Here are some factors at Exeter for certain trainers or jockeys which have been profitable:
- 9-22 (41%) +32.25 - Backing J Scott runners when in a Handicap Chase race
- 5-12 (42%) +13.38 - Backing N J Henderson runners when in a Handicap Hurdle race
Exeter Top Jockey and Trainer Combinations
Here are the best trainer and jockey combinations here at Exeter based on the number of winners:
- 24 Wins: P F Nicholls & Harry Cobden
- 12 Wins: Daniel Skelton & Harry Skelton
- 12 Wins: N J Henderson & Nico Boinville
- 9 Wins: Mrs Jane Williams & David G Noonan
- 9 Wins: J Scott & Lorcan Williams
Exeter Top Trainers By Most Winners and a Level Stakes Profit
| Trainer | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| N J Henderson | 54-16-22 | +3.51 | -4.81 |
| Mrs Jane Williams | 70-14-25 | +33.76 | +19.06 |
| N P Mulholland | 46-7-15 | +9.88 | -1.34 |
| J D Frost | 71-6-7 | +5.25 | -8.07 |
| Chris Honour | 46-6-13 | +0.25 | -2.09 |
| H D Daly | 27-5-8 | +5.31 | -1.00 |
| Jamie Snowden | 22-5-8 | +8.21 | +3.30 |
| G L Moore | 17-5-7 | +17.88 | +7.80 |
| Stuart Edmunds | 17-5-10 | +11.53 | +4.54 |
| Miss J Du Plessis | 49-4-8 | +4.88 | -6.94 |
Exeter Top Jockeys By Most Winners and a Level Stakes Profit
| Jockey | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bryan Carver | 101-20-38 | +53.12 | +28.31 |
| Sean P Bowen | 54-13-22 | +16.19 | -1.34 |
| Nico Boinville | 43-12-19 | +6.88 | +2.04 |
| Tom Scudamore | 79-9-20 | +12.91 | -10.10 |
| Jordan Nailor | 27-8-10 | +12.55 | +4.09 |
| A Coleman | 21-8-12 | +4.73 | -0.43 |
| Nick Scholfield | 54-5-12 | +4.88 | +1.45 |
| Stan Sheppard | 41-5-20 | +172.66 | +143.22 |
| Chester Williams | 20-5-10 | +3.26 | +0.48 |
| Richard Patrick | 32-4-12 | +65.00 | +35.94 |
With a huge combined experience of horse racing between them, this content has been created and is maintained by Darren Brett, James Banting and Andy Powell. All of the data for Exeter Racecourse which includes the favourite statistics and the trainer and jockey statistics have been created using results from HorseRaceBase.
Darren Brett
Tipster Competition Manager
James Banting
Tipster Competition Assistant
Andy Powell
Content Editor