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As Davies said ‘ horseracing is a niche product ‘so maybe, just maybe you need people who may be boring or slightly odd to present it. Nowadays they are trying to make it appealing to everyone, and it clearly isn’t. By playing so much to the gallery and yoof in this big push for viewing numbers, they are upsetting the diehards, oddballs and horseheads that represent the backbone of public that would follow it off a cliff.
I’m going to make scrambled eggs.
gamble’s last sentence is particularly true, trying to compare decades where for one thing the technology around now provides interviews at home very easily.
I used to like hearing John Francome with just a couple of presenters alongside, that’s all it needed, that’s all the chat required.
Now, it’s relentless and it seems someone has a big budget out there to throw at getting as many people on the programme as they can.
ITV perhaps have got a quest for perfection, but perfection is not required. I remember watching Balding and it was so polished, but it was all about the presenting and interview skills, it killed BBC racing. That quest of perfection.
Remember the days of John Tyrell and his voice which sounded like he had one tooth in his head and the results were written by hand. Loved it! So simple, but earthy with no perfection seeking about it.Thank goodness for the fast forward and rewind buttons, I’m just not interested in all the chat. Even the commentator Hoiles doesn’t come up for air. Too much detail!
Highlight of the day was the following exchange:
Chapman – “Aiden, are you a fan of the ballet?”.
AOB – “Listen, Matt, I wouldn’t be knowing much about it, really”.
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Did anyone notice cameraman trying to peek in on A P O,Brien giving final instructions before Oaks, a hand came up to block the lens, what I found interesting was the 3 Muppet presenters gobsmacked because they knew it was Frankie Dettori.
Do they at ITV really see FD as god do not touch.You rather trumped me there GSP – but I think you’re damn right in all your thoughts and yes they have overegged the custard – and all praise on a holy day to all our buttons of joy 👍
Sorry TROY111 and Tatters – I rather sat on both your posts.
P.s. very kind of you TROY111 for the below – Tatters is too cheeky to comment.
Thanks to the terrific efforts of those who have uploaded hundreds and hundred of hours of footage to the likes of You Tube (my forty years extensive VHS collection of the sport was ruined by white mould! ) we can go down memory lane and watch extended footage of how well the sport was once presented.
I would recommended the build up to the third leg of the To Agori Mou v Kings Lake grudge match in the Sussex Stakes on Royal Wedding day 1981. It starts as the runners are leaving the paddock, a relaxed, professional and observant Jimmy Lindley taking us through the build up, then joined by John Hamner as the runners reach the start, then a wonderfully delivered O’ Sullivan commentary. Everything just perfect. –
And for ITV, I would Teenoso’s Derby with the full build up. There is a wonderful moment when Judith Chalmers face appears on the top of the screen and even though her voice is muted, John Oaksey ignores her anyway, then adds later, ” It’s a shame we couldn’t hear Judith Chalmers, I am sure she would have had some interesting news for us”.
ITV big some horses up so much, if anyone beats them it leaves the occasion a bit underwhelmed.
It shouldn’t be like that. Too much Chamberlain “only 3,2,1 hours to go to the big race” and mentions what they think is the key horse time and time again. If I was an owner with another horse in the race I’d be pretty pissed off. And if I won I would go up to Chamberlain and say thank you, you’ve been banging on about such and such horse, you put the mockers on it, there are other horses too.
Too biased, I can imagine they make some other horses and owners the bad guys if their ‘favourite’ is beaten.Yes the public likes champions, but let the public decide not you on TV who we should be liking or cheering on.
It’s just like the football pundits who bang on about City, United, Liverpool etc, and when they get beaten by a ‘lesser team’, it must have been because those mentioned had on ‘off day’, not because the lesser team played so well.
Highlight of the day was the following exchange:
Chapman – “Aiden, are you a fan of the ballet?”.
AOB – “Listen, Matt, I wouldn’t be knowing much about it, really”.
I don’t suppose Coolmore are fans of it either . If they wanted some sort of terpsichorean name, The Mallow Fling might have been better.
Thankfully ITV don’t have Croc McGrath who used to praise the unimaginitive Coolmore names in such an oily manner.
I always think the Juddmonte horses are nicely named personally. Or Wayne Rooney, with his highly original ‘Hoof Hearted’ suggestion.
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Glad I’m not the only one who finds Coolmore names boring. I have been trying to put my finger on the reason for some time, without success. It’s as if they use one of those password generating programs.
Agree about Juddmonte TTC. Godolphin also come up with some good ones to be fair.
I did not understand the reasoning in using the ex Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti to recite the words of Federico Tesio.
For some reason Tonge, I tend to find Coolmores colts naming quite dull, but like some of their their top fillies naming.
Peeping Fawn, Winter, Snowfall, Imagine, Hydrangea, Misty for Me, Necklance, Moonstone, Alice Springs. Nice imo.
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I quite like some of the Coolmore names, adding a bit of history and culture to the occasion.
I believe sue magnier names most of them. Must be tricky trying to come up with interesting names. She must have named many thousands of horses. I do like their classical names and places.
I used to like the feline linked names, being a big cat lover. Can’t recall if they were all linked to progeny of ‘Storm Cat’. Perhaps they were.
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Venture To Cognac has had continuing success with his ‘Midnight’ thread on the sytems section of the Forum. I’m sure it has been based around the success of Midnight Legend as a stallion and the fact that ‘Midnight’ has been used as a suffix for so many of his progeny. Sadly the effect will probably weaken over the coming years as Midnight Legend died a while back.
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