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Some of these comments about Sam Quek seem a bit harsh to me. I don’t recall anyone commenting about Des Lynam seeking publicity back in the day when he was interviewing Jenny Pitman. Quek is being employed as a generalist sports broadcaster just like he was.
I don’t believe a comparison between Des Lynam and Sam Quek is relevant.
Des Lynam was an old school broadcaster in the anchorman role. The only person he can be compared to on ITV’s team is Ed Chamberlin.
Lynam was also part of a vanished media landscape. I don’t think there was ever any expectation of him making the sport more accessible to a wider audience or more relevant to the young (he would laugh at the idea).
Through no fault of her own, Sam Quek inhabits a world of hashtags, “likes” and “retweets”. People in her position need the publicity in a way Lynam’s generation did not.
I also reckon she is self aware enough to know that in TV Land, there is always someone younger coming along behind. It might not be pleasant but it is the way the media works.
She is making her money while the sun shines. I don’t blame her for that but she has arguably become somewhat overexposed.
And if the ITV executives believe she will help to bring a new audience to racing, I believe that overestimates the extent of her popularity. It is as misconceived a notion as the Jermaine Jenas video. Which, now we know what we know about Mr Jenas, looks even more disastrous in retrospect.
What attracted me to the sport was race horses racing against each other
If Quek attracts people to the sport, I’d say they are attracted to Quek and not the sport… 😅
Good post CAS…
Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
The BBC treated the Grand National coverage as a programme in it’s own right, it was a national institution and as such it was fronted by people such as Des Lynam. The public didn’t care if he was an expert on the sport he was a known and friendly face who they could relate to. Later we had Sue Barker and Claire Balding although Claire had a background in racing.
The more I know the less I understand.
Exactly RTB, the Grand National is an event that transcends the typical reach of racing, and big name sports presenters from outside racing’s usual confines have been drafted in for many years. Part of this has been to make it more “accessible” to a wider audience, and I’m sure this has its roots with the likes of Lynam even if nobody was talking about accessibility back then.
I don’t believe Quek’s involvement will bring lots of new people to the sport. But singling her out as getting involved for the money and publicity when she has an established sports presenting career seems unfair. I know her role is not identical to the likes of Lynam’s, but involving someone like her is the modern continuation of something that has been going on for decades.
Given ITVs viewing figures on National Day are nearly half that of minority CH4 they need all the help they can get to attract new viewers to replace the ones not bothered about watching anymore.
How many years do we hear “attract new people” answer = every single year
How’s it going ??
Attendances down at Cheltenham
Cheltenham, Cheltenham
Attendances down. Extremely poor results for the attracting new people
Looks like they are losing the ones they haveEvery year is failing to attract new people
All they do is come up with ideas to detract with gimmicks like the racing league and paddy power jockey thing
You either get into racing because you like or have an interest in horses or betting or you don’t
Here’s an idea..💡
How about don’t restrict people betting
Maybe have a fair price for a ticket or pint and a hot dog 🌭
Try not ripping people off
Have toilets that you don’t have to queue up for an hour
Have a better ITV 7 with prizes for 5 winners and 4 winners even if it’s a pound. Keep promoting the impossible that the vast majority are out in the first race is a turn offGaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
100% agree Nathan. The lack of faith in racing’s core product seems to have permeated across so many areas of the sport – the racing authorities, the media, the racecourses…
When I say don’t restrict people from betting.. obviously problem gamblers aside
Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
Nail on head, Marlingford. I’ve got nothing for or against Ms Quek, but her recruitment whiffs of a sport – and a broadcasting partner – that doesn’t quite believe in the spectacle presented by its most important participants.
That was my main takeaway from Champions Full Gallop, which had far too many talking human heads and not nearly enough equine action.
When snooker goes to the Crucible in Sheffield, they don’t drag along Jess Ennis-Hill to ensure the local audience feels involved. When The Open is played at Troon, nobody hands Andy Murray a microphone for the same reason. The great sport in prospect will suffice.
I do get the overall need to attract the next generation of racing fans. I just don’t think engaging the likes of Quek and Jenas will add a single click to the turnstiles.
Due to his smooth laid back style, Des Lynam attracted many female viewers to watch Grandstand and in particular the National coverage he fronted – most of whom probably had no clue or interest in horse racing prior to that so you can argue he did introduce the sport to a demographic that wasn’t being catered to previously.
While I agree 1000% the Powers That Be should have more faith in their product, stating that for all intents and purposes that it is a waste of time having other sporting people appear on ITV Racing engaging in the social media aspect (which is where the biggest group of new fans will be found) and that new people clearly aren’t being attract to the sport based on the Cheltenham Festival attendances being down is short sighted and rather isolationist.
For me it doesn’t really matter where or how new people are introduced to the sport only that when they are, they have a good enjoyable day out and experience the majesty of the racehorse in the flesh and find it something that they want to continue participating in going forward – if it is another unrelated sports star(s) bridging the gap to bring potential new fans to the sport then so what.
There are plenty of other sports stars that have got into racing like Michael Owen, Mick Channon, Harry Redknapp, John Parrott, Alex Ferguson and Victoria Pendelton to name but a few and they all to varying degrees would no doubt have brought a number of new fans to the sport through their involvement.
Personally, I got into racing around 7 or 8 simply by bugging my grandad on the weekends watching him study form in his Daily Mirror and then him taking time to explain about form and trainers/jockeys he followed to me and then both of us watching that afternoon’s racing on World of Sport (with the legend that was Dickie Davis), which led into him taking me on racing days to Sandown or Kempton and then moving up to going on a coach with a group of family/friends to watch the Epsom Derby from the infield for several years.
We have no real clue as to whether these other stars are as into horse racing as we all are or are just in it to further their own profile but again if they are able to reach a wider demographic and bring even just some into the racing family, it is surely better than just hoping that new people will discover racing with no outside influence….especially when you consider that the ‘perception’ and narrative in the media of the sport isn’t condusive to people saying….I know, lets all go out to a day at the races.
Didn’t a course have a “student day” recently where students got in cheap (or even free) or did I dream that? Anyway it’s the sort of thing that would be more likely to attract new people (particularly if it included a free bet) than tricking people to attend by offering lures completely unrelated to racing.
“Didn’t a course have a “student day” recently where students got in cheap (or even free) or did I dream that?”
Yes, it was Ascot on Sat, Feb 15th, and I was there. Several thousand young people with zero knowledge of horses or racing, badly dressed and consuming alcohol non stop. It’s the only time I’ve seen queues outside the door of a gents toilet before the first race.
Then they all came onto the terraces for the first race, a 3M hurdle. As they came round in front of the stands, the men were shouting and calling out names, the young women were screeching and screaming. When the horses went past the post and carried on to start the second circuit, a deathly silence fell over the stands.
I’m sure they’re all nice, respectable young people when met individually. En Masse they are a deterrent to going racing for anybody over 30!
All options should be explored as there is no one answer to solve the problem – tricking people by lures……really……..what exactly do you think offering students cheaper ticket prices and/or a free bet is then?
I wouldn’t call it tricking/lures as the individual still has the choice to go or not but I do think incentives to come racing is always a good idea along with some of the themed race days that are in place at some courses, kids under 16 going free and the after racing concerts at a cheaper overall price (than just going to the concert alone) etc
Cheap tickets encourage people to come racing and free bets encourage them to take an interest. Music events, fireworks etc might get people through the gates but do nothing to promote the sport and often distract from the actual racing.
I take ap’s point about students but that’s the case with most racing crowds these days, which is why it’s important to come up with ways to get people to engage with the sport itself once they’re in, rather than find other ways of entertaining them. As you say, there certainly isn’t one simple answer but focusing on the core product and racegoer experience has to be the way (but not in a “David Power Cup” sort of way!).
There sad fact is that racecourses aren’t really that interested in selling the racing.
All they’re interested in these days is selling tickets and alcohol; the racing is just something that goes on in the background. Indeed, they’re more likely to be embarrassed by the actual racing than anything, especially as many young people consider it anachronistic at best and animal cruelty at worst.
There was a student day at Chepstow last Sunday. Wolverhampton stage a few throughout the year.
They are quite popular in Ireland as well. I have been at Gowran Park and Tramore on student days. They were OK. I am not sure the students showed much interest in the racing but they didn’t get in anyone’s way.
“There sad fact is that racecourses aren’t really that interested in selling the racing. All they’re interested in these days is selling tickets and alcohol; the racing is just something that goes on in the background.”
That sounds like Chester’s mission statement.
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