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Why is “Chezka” wearing a dressing gown?
....and you've got to look a long way back for anything else.
Apparently Chris was on a “popular” tv show, but don’t know what he is or who he’s doing either.
....and you've got to look a long way back for anything else.
Chamberlin, McCoy, Harvey and Plunkett can stay. The rest should all be put out of their misery- absolutely woeful.
I’d rather watch old races on youtube these days, thanks to many uploaders but especially espmadrid’s brilliant channel!
My God the non stop shouting on ITV. The non stop searching-for-heart-wrenching “stories”. The banality of it all. Says a lot when Luke Harvey is one of the better presenters.
As we’re advised, when the fun stops it’s time to stop. I’ll (maybe) watch the Grand National tomorrow and call it day.
Fitzgerald ok apart from his continuing tipping of Henderson horses , agree with the camera work ….oh and they better play the champions theme ….let’s face it BBC did the national better …where are u des lynam when we need u most
Pick 3 on Saturday champion 2025/2026
Matt Chapman is supposedly the betting expert.
“No point backing a 50/1 shot if it isn’t going to win it”.
Value Is EverythingA lot wrong with it but even with my technologically deficient equipment I have pause, fast forward, rewind – enough to edit it most of it. Best of all, no Clare Balding filling the screen. Thanks ITV.
I see that they’re sticking with that ridiculous camera at Valentines.
We shouldn’t have to put up with this, and I can’t think of another sport where they deliberately use a camera angle that stops you from seeing what’s happening.
Perfect time for my now yearly “they wouldn’t show The FA Cup Final with a camera attached to the corner flag” comment.
I’ve enjoyed the ITV coverage from Aintree and jockey Bryony Frost seems to have done a good job as a guest, radiating the eloquent enthusiasm for which she has been praised.
Luke Harvey always seems an annoying weak link to me, despite being a supposed character. Ed Chamberlin has certainly grown into the role but the toothy and oddly dressed Francesca Cumani seems strangely vacuous.
For the first time, as an experiment, I watched the TV pictures but listened to the BBC 5 Live commentary and was very impressed with the team of John Hunt, Martin Harris, Darren Owen and Gary O’Brien.
Hunt did an excellent job on the emotional Tiger Roll finish. So much better than ITV’s lead commentator Richard Hoiles.
The course commentary team of David Fitzgerald, Alan Howes and Stewart Machin have also had a good week.
Bryony Frost seems to very easily find a comment for every question or situation but I’m afraid it comes across as annoying motor mouthed bland waffle ….trying too hard and a little bit over confident especially given her level of experience.
Spotting McCoy looking annoyed or bored stiff every time Cumani and latterly Frost start wittering on is becoming a quite entertaining sideshow.
Sexist me? I hope not because Fitzgerald is well up there with the worst of mouth openers who actually don’t say very much.
I think it’s a little better
now.
Luke always appears genuine and
good fun, he knows just about
all the connections in the
paddock and they appear happy
to have a word.
A.P. well it’s not his thing but
turns up for the cash.First time I’ve watched ITV for a bit and have to say Luke Harvey was excellent.
Mike
the toothy and oddly dressed Francesca Cumani seems strangely vacuous.
If she does her research then by now she should know more about jumps racing than she appears to, so I reckon she is getting paid to play the ingénue and ask McCoy overly simple questions on behalf of the casual viewer they hope to attract.
On Grand National day they probably insist on somebody trotting out extra fluffy crap like “A Toi Phil will be popular in the betting with people called Phil” and the others (with the possible exception of Alice and Rishi) can’t dilute their expert status by saying it so she has to.
It’s a pity; I would like to see her allowed to use her knowledge of the Flat to discuss the breeding of the horses in relation to stamina, ground preferences, the scope to improve with age etc but somebody has to do the fluffy bits for the Saturday audience and she is the chosen one.
Sat 27 April
A new low for ITV seeing Matt Chapman springing from a rubbish bin, couldn’t they have left him there and carried the bin away?
Francesca Cumani yet again showing her obvious love of flat racing, why does she have to be there during the jumps season?
A strange focus on racing from Leicester, one of the most boring racecourses I know.
Couldn’t agree more.
I don’t see the point of F.C. during the National Hunt season.I can only think Chapman is told to perform as he does, surely you wouldn’t act like that otherwise.
I think that you’ve hit the nail on the head Greenssgrass.
It should be fairly obvious that she’s there to ask the fairly simple questions for casual viewers. She’s not there for her knowledge of National Hunt Racing. Why it has to be her is another matter of course. I’m not a fan of her particularly, but she’s not any worse than Alice Plunkett, who serves very little purpose whatsoever.
Most sports have increasingly unnecessary people on the roster, and Racing is obviously no different.
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