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It was the King George on Boxing Day that brought me back to racing. If it hadn’t been first of all on the national news thanks to Dessie which then led to me watching the racing on tv it would never have happened. I love the way that ITV racing showcase the little tracks these days. And, on a different level I still can’t get over the fact that I can chat about racing to lots of people, having spent years watching Kempton at Christmas on my own (with a bottle of advocaat and some Old Holborn baccy) while the rest of the family did other things.
I think we forgot racing is a niche sport outside of those who just bet on it. Same as I find as a scotsman who loves cricket. Nobody outside the Asian community interested in it. We are lucky racing gets so much coverage, I just wish it was covered with more decent analysis. I so miss big mac, Jim mcgath, John Francome etc. Great days listening to guys who were great to listen too and loved their racing. I don’t get that feel now.
“I remember the later days of Grandstand and as great as it was (as well as having one of my all time favourite theme tunes in all of TV, not just sport), it’s never going to compete with the volume of coverage that can be provided today with multiple ITV channels”.
Got agree with the theme tune, iconic
The quality of commentator has absolutely plummeted.
Watched the World Cup Final on the BBC, the commentary was absolutely dreadful from Guy Mowbray & racing fan Jenas, particularly Mowbray. He wasn’t actually commentating on what was happening in the match most of the time, more passing opinions.
Oh for the days of Coleman, Longhurst, Benaud, O’Sullevan, McLaren, Pickering etc etc.O’Sullevan only ever mentioned the first four or five horses, never explaining which ones were in what colours etc, not mentioning fallers or pulled ups. I’m amazed at the love-in for him, cliches galore in his commentary. Stayed on years past his sell-by date. Anyway, that’s a different debate.
But the moaning in here. Someone moaning about Racing tv “which he won’t pay for”. OH THE ENTITLEMENT! The “everything was better in my day” lot would still moan if every race every day was on BBC1 with the ghosts of POS, Oaksey, McCririck etc all presenting every show and hand-picking every winner for you at a point higher than SP!
I hope people are sitting down as I’ve actually warmed a little to ITV Racing in recent months.
Yes Rishi did make another appearance yesterday because there’s no where else for him to go at the mo (maybe he was there on KG day as well, I didn’t watch all of it), but I’m accepting it’s not going to be perfect with two and a half to three hours to kill of live coverage.
We’ll see if the programme rings in any changes as we go into 2023, I’m sure there maybe some little tweaks still, although we may not even notice them on the grand scale of things.
From the end of the BBC days with Balding and Carson, and the disaster of C4 racing with Balding again, at least we are in a much better place now regards terrestrial TV racing than we were.
And I will take that, unless they make stupid changes for change sake.Some good and bad from ITV today:
The good was Richard Hoiles making a valiant attempt to explain the concept of value to the casual ITV viewer. Seeing some elementary maths being used on such a programme was remarkable due to its rarity. I suspect such segments would work best as a series of introductory videos on the ITV website.
Some of the coverage relating to Jack de Bromhead has made me uneasy though. His passing is of course tragic beyond words, and naming a race in his memory is a lovely gesture. But I do not need ITV to tell me endless times how “emotional” it is. There is something distasteful and exploitative about how the modern media feeds on grief and tragedy, and where getting someone in tears on camera is regarded as a great result.
ITV are by no means alone in doing this, but I would prefer for such tragic events to be treated with more dignified restraint rather than being regarded as a rich narrative opportunity. ITV always seem to overdo these things, and today’s coverage has seemed as verging on mawkish to me. I acknowledge that getting the balance right is tricky though, and would be interested to know what others think.
Couldn’t agree more marlingford.
Oli Bell and Ed chamberlain are cheerleaders for grief. It’s myopic behaviour to try to sell every tragedy as the pertinent story of the race.
I’ve no issue with them celebrating a horse bought for a packet of chocolate buttons winning the Cheltenham gold cup as that’s a very cheerful story that everyone would enjoy. But to target individual tragedy and purposefully try to prey on it is really unsavoury.
Sounds like simply watching the muted video of the races at Betfair Exchange today was a smarter move than ever – what I’ve just read sounds excruciating.
Not sure how declining to pay for RacingTV and watching on betting apps (via bookies who DO pay for a form of commercial subscription) makes me entitled, but it certainly makes me better off and spares me a lot of earache.
It’s true that, even in his heyday, a lot of horses won “in tremendous style” but anyone who listens to the 1977 Grand National and fails to hail Peter O’Sullevan as the all-time great theatrical racing commentator clearly puts the “Phil” into Philistine.
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"I couldn’t hear the TV today properly Marlingford as family members were making too much noise, but I wasn’t going to have ITV racing mute their behaviour so let them get on with it.
I know what you mean however. Most of them are journo’s, they love a story and often do it to death to get attention.
What was there in front of us, the occasion etc was plain to see and feel, but feel they must think we are stupid at times when they state the bleeding obvious.
It does not need them to tell us everything, but they want to chat and chat and chat mostly, with no dignified pauses.
It’s like they are scared to be quiet!It was a painful to watch Mr De Bromhead with his family alongside the presenters. Perhaps it might have been better to not broadcast it, the young girls were clearly very uncomfortable.
Could be a bit of improvisation needed this weekend unless temperatures lift.
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"Maybe they all need to relax a bit more and forget about their careers and introduce a few more pregnant gaps of silence.
ITV now showing some of the Navan races, as well as Lingfield. I wonder how Racing UK and SSR feel?
I don’t watch it, as oft stated, but you can’t knock them for their adaptability.
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"I had 2 winners at Navan today, HMS Seahorse and Four Country Roads.
Prob wouldnt even had bet if ITV hadnt shown the races.Good on Nico de B for shutting down Matt Chapman wanting to bore on about Constitution Hill and sending Epatante to the mares, and just enjoying today’s win.
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