ITV Racing

[Cork All Star]

I do not watch ITV Racing very often. When I have seen it, I thought the coverage was OK. Not perfect but not as bad as critics on various racing forums seem to think.

Cumani sort of epitomises it all. Not great but not terrible either.

Megan Nicholls is not a particularly good pundit. A trainer’s daughter, girlfriend of a jockey and a jockey’s agent. Not exactly independent and impartial. To be fair, she is not the only one who ticks some of those boxes. Why can’t the racing media find someone independent?

I usually quite like Matt Chapman but Megan’s slap down of him was quite funny. Then again, I think Chapman is probably right.

https://twitter.com/itvracing/status/1651961963738546178?cxt=HHwWhIC-8emp-ewtAAAA

[Nathan Hughes]

I’m glad I don’t host ITV Racing.
Not sure what we are looking for in that regard.. I’m more interested in the races and watching the horses in the parade ring

anyway I thought its about time I posted a photo of the eye candy alongside Francesca Cumani

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[IanDavies]

Cumani clearly punching well above her weight there – as if she’d ever have a chance with THAT absolute “Greek God” of a man!

I am "The Horse Racing Punter" on Facebook
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"

[Nathan Hughes]

She was extremely lucky I let her have a photo opportunity with me

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[LD73]

All of the racing programmes over the years (especially the dedicated racing channels) have had/do have various individuals that you could well do without or you thought contributed little to the overall product, most have some sort of link to the sport be it through family or friends.

No doubt there are better presenters out there but then they would not have the knowledge of the sport itself and as such would be even more jarring if they were shoe horned in……at least with Ed you know he loves the sport and does present well……I do think Ruby is far and away a better analyst than Fitzgerald and Grumpy Old Man McCoy and I feel you always learn something from Ruby’s spots of reviewing races.

[yeats]

Ian,

I don’t feel qualified to criticise or praise something if I haven’t seen or heard it although this doesn’t seem to hold you back. Think you’ve more posts than most on this thread despite you not tuning in to any of the coverage

Since cutting back entirely on betting due to the aggravation and lily-livered bookmakers I am more than happy to rely on ITV coverage even if some of the presenters and pundits are crap. I don’t want 24/7 coverage, both the satellite channels leave a lot to be desired and I wouldn’t be paying for them anymore, although I do watch some FTA.

I’v never watched a race on a phone and never will, split screen is bad enough and I immediately lose interest in what I’m watching when it kicks in.

[IanDavies]

Yeats,

Fair comment, but obviously there was a time when I watched it, I ceased to do so for a reason and nothing I’ve read or heard about it since has made me regret the decision, not even the apparent wisdom of Ruby Walsh or Kevin Blake who, even if they were worth listening to, are offering their insights to the entire viewing audience, so the betting markets will adjust accordingly.

I’m surprised you don’t simply operate at Betfair Exchange where aggravation and lily-livered bookmakers are less of a factor.

But given your decision there, it’s more understandable.

Being congenitally lazy, watching a race muted on my phone while crashed out on my sofa suits me just fine.

Tbh, I occasionally wonder why I still even have a television set in my home at all – it just sits in the corner of my living room gathering dust and I can’t even remember when I last switched it on.

In fact, I wonder if it still even works?

I am "The Horse Racing Punter" on Facebook
https://mobile.twitter.com/Ian_Davies_
https://www.facebook.com/ThePointtoPointNHandFlatracingpunter/
It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"

[Nathan Hughes]

Ian’s remote has a busted mute button, a busted on/off switch
just aswell take it along with the dusty tv box to one of those pawn shops, they may offer to take it off your hands if you give them a ten pound note and half a packet of hob nobs

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[IanDavies]

That mute button has had an innings Hanif Mohammad would have been proud of.

I’m very sentimental about £10 notes, in fact bank notes generally, and an in first-name terms with all the ones I possess.

I hate saying goodbye to them and you can multiply that by a million for hob nobs!

So I’ll pass on that suggestion and leave dusty telly where it is!

I am "The Horse Racing Punter" on Facebook
https://mobile.twitter.com/Ian_Davies_
https://www.facebook.com/ThePointtoPointNHandFlatracingpunter/
It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"

[gamble]

I had a thing about farthings and can remember the time when you could buy something for a farthing. I collected lots of them and had about fifty, and the reason was the little bird on it. I never knew what bird it was until yesterday when I went to the Wicked Pedo library on my way back from the park in my dirty old mac. There’s a lot of enquiring little minds like me there, thumbin’ through the books and looking at the pictures.I found Little Jenny Wren in a bird book and she is a fine looking little one – a migratory bird and you will be lucky to find little Jenny looking for grubs around your cabbage patch between March and June. I can’t remember seeing her since I don’t know when. They used to be about but like the almost Dodo like turtle Dove these mites are often seen queuing up in bird food banks – little houses made of wood with small entrances and designed especially for our feathered friends.

Bygone Gardens of the English countryside – series one – Episode – Disaster

[gamble]

What a fine pair Cumani and Blackbeard look together in the shoot. Not that I look much or stare, but when I do, I do like the presenters to be nicely turned out – I try to reach the same standard in my private life and will sometimes iron a shirt or brush a shoe but I can’t quite reach their standard or my shoe. Keep it up team !

p.s. Blackbeard’s pink shirt melts beautifully into the scene matching Francesca’s spots of pink especially around her leading arm and the delicately placed tulip. That remarked on – I do feel the hang me down hand me down jacket could do with a trip to the cleaners.

Series – Fashion in racing today and yesterday.
Episode – Modern Alpha Couples and how they dress on the racecourse

[Nathan Hughes]

Spot on about the jacket being a hand me down.. gamble
still got it someone, stills needs a clean…

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[worzelwaywardlad]

Well said Yeats, felt the same yesterday when I read Ian’s response. Each to their own and we all know ITV racing isn’t perfect but what sport is on tele? Let’s stop constantly moaning about it and be thankfully we all have access to live racing each and every week. In their defence I thought the piece with Ken Pitterson and Richard Hoiles on Friday was very informative.

[IanDavies]

“Each to their own and we all know ITV racing isn’t perfect but what sport is on tele? Let’s stop constantly moaning about it and be thankfully we all have access to live racing each and every week.”

Ironically, that was my exact point.

ITV Racing isn’t aimed at serious racing fans – it’s aimed at the casual or new viewer to racing.

Not because ITV is on a mission to promote racing, but because they think it’s best for advertising revenue.

Serious racing fans are served by: RacingTV, ATR and, err, muted pictures on smart phones for lazy slobs crashed out on sofas.

I am "The Horse Racing Punter" on Facebook
https://mobile.twitter.com/Ian_Davies_
https://www.facebook.com/ThePointtoPointNHandFlatracingpunter/
It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"

[worzelwaywardlad]

I’m a serious racing fan Ian but going by your comments you’ve bewildered that I actually watch ITV racing. They are not all good on there as we know but personally I’m happy to listen to Ruby, Kevin and Matt and insights from the likes of Ken Pitterson. What a child that makes me

[gamble]

Take them out of their comfort zone and place them all on an ice flow in Antarctica that was quickly melting, and in no time at all, you would get stellar reporting.

[ Up until 1953’you couldn’t buy sweeties – the post war b*stards rationed them. After ’53 kids could buy sweeties as often as they liked until they were pre-diabetic – well they were more or less gradually brought back so would take a kid a year to become obese or worry the doctors. You could buy one sweet for a farthing back then. I rarely did as I was a miserly collector of Jenny the wren !]

[He Didnt Like Ground]

Channel 4 spent more time on the betting ( still miss Tanya ) , ITV are selling racing as a day out for all the family , sadly dodging the piss/cokeheads stops me from going regularly

Pick 3 on Saturday champion 2025/2026

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