ITV must be commended for their professional presentation of the Royal Ascot festival last week. The focus was all about the racehorse. The production was so successful that television ratings once again hit record levels.
The quality of this presentation should surely convince South Africa’s racing authorities that by upgrading the technology of on-course cameras and the efficient management of the presenters and guest analysts, things will improve here.
What a treat over 5 glorious days!(Pic- Ascot Racecourse
The slick production at Royal Ascot included a panel of retired champion jockeys, commentators and leading racing pundits. After an introduction of the panel and an overall description of the day’s races and conditions, the panels nap bets were aired. Not four or five selections per race, but only the winning selection and a possible danger. The input from the panel was concise and informative regarding the runners and delivered in a professional yet easy manner.
Presenters in the parade ring provided the viewer with insight into each of the runners’ physical wellbeing – not the form of the horse which can be found in a race card. Graphics at the bottom of the television screen highlighted each horses’ connections, draw and weight in the saddle. The on-course camera work was excellent, focussing on each horse in turn.
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The high-quality images of the horses was so lifelike that the viewer could see the horse’s dapples and gleaming coats. The horses appeared bigger than usual on the screen.
Race betting was provided via a leading bookmakers board and then disseminated clearly onto the screen showing the name of horse, the trainer of the runner, and jockey and the latest betting odds. The presenter highlighted any changes.
Race time, and the commentator called the races in a professional manner, clearly and with limited hype. The commentary was always informative, witty and very exciting at the finish. The cameras positioned around the track and on the vehicles moving with the horses during each race produced high-quality resolution images of the race. Again, it felt like one was much closer to the action.
Post-race interviews with every winning jockey, while still in the saddle near the finishing post, were interesting and entertaining.
Owners were given their moment of glory in the winner’s enclosure.
Informative analysis after each race was provided by luminaries like Sir AP McCoy and Johnny Murtagh.
They provided a jockey’s perspective on how the race unfolded. The tactics used that determined the result of the race were explained in an easy and interesting manner.
Francesca Cumani, one of ITV Racing’s co-presenters, said of the high ratings: “From my perspective, it’s all very positive because there was focus from us on the horses, pre-race, post-race, and in-depth analysis, looking at every horse in the paddock, having a presenter down at the start. You’d like to think people were staying tuned in because they were learning and were more invested in the outcome.”
