Racing Presenters On Itv

It will be fascinating to see the viewing figures for the Cheltenham Festival 2017. My expectation is that it will not be stellar figures like some at ITV might have expected. They have fallen into the same mythical world that ‘Racing For Change’ inhabits – the one where the future is attracting young people into the sport with their spending power. Young people are at work (if they have any) and saving their pennies for mortgages, etc, whilst the only call on the grey pound is their children’s mortgage deposits.

As it will turn out, most of ITV’s advertising revenue will have come from bookmakers, effectively subsidising terrestrial TV coverage of the sport for the older audience who will not pay-per-view with the commercial operators. The rest of their advertising seems to come from companies selling dubious death benefit policies, furniture for infirm people and holidays on European rivers (target audience older people).

The Opening Show is pointless soporific schedule filler that will not drag me out of bed on a Saturday morning if their extended Cheltenham coverage is any indication of the product that they intend to offer on a regular basis.

 

Only saw the ITV coverage on Tuesday and Wednesday (in the main thought it was rather bland and uninspiring) but the highlight for me had to be when the usually docile and innocuous Mick Fitzgerald somewhat savaged that AP McCoy chap prior to the ‘Champion Hurdle’. In fact he even adapted one of my lines in doing so (I expect ‘Fitzy’ is another of my regular readers).

Anyway, Fitzgerald had just done a piece entitled ‘How to win a Champion Hurdle’ when Mccoy somewhat stuffily sneered, ‘What do you know about winning a Champion Hurdle?!?’

‘Ahhhhhhhh well, you know’, he responded, ‘I’ve never won a Champion Hurdle but unlike you I haven’t lost 2 that I should have won’.

Brilliant with a capital ‘B’. Although some of us think it’s actually 3, Fitzy. You follow?!?

 

Hmm, I would doubt if even 1% of professional racing people have ever heard of this forum? They're far too busy. If not, surely a few of them, in particular N.Henderson, would have sued for libel on more than one occasion in the past? Maybe A.P.McCoy too?

 

I been working last two months so haven't seen much tv -- i did watch this sat morning and have to say what a poor programme it was , very little examination of that afternoons racing , Luke Harvey looks like a cluedo piece -reverend green

 

I would imagine the former would ‘win’ a lot more than the ‘latter’ in the old libel courts. Cor blimey some of the things that have been said on here about Mr Henderson! Just recalling a few, earlier on, let me to having to go and lie down in the sick bay for half an hour. Absolutely outrageous some of the things that have been said about the 'Champion Elect' over the years.

 

Who notes what happening on this site ..... well virtually nobody.

According to Hype Stat's site that was update two days ago, we're almost alone in the universe. We're ranked 227,765 in the world (approx 30,000,000 domains) and represent 0.00022% of global internet traffic. The estimated value of not606 is US$4,284,84, and is thought to earn something in the order of US$8.80 per day in advertising revenue. The server location in San Francisco. We're 7 years and 2 months of age. Registrar: GoDaddy.com, LLC.

 

I’m afraid that ITV Racing has now turned into something of a bad comedy sketch. And I must admit that I half wondered if this Francesca Cumani ‘character’ was their answer to Alan Partridge!

Wasn’t a fan of their NH coverage but the Flat team is miles, miles, miles worse (although I don’t understand their insistence that you can only comment on the jumps if you are from a NH background and the Flat if you hail from a Flat background. That to me is baffling). Jason Weaver is dull beyond words whilst Hailey Turner’s voice...cor blimey. I have to reach for the mute button every time she appears.

Francesca Cumani reminds me of one of those posh fillies that always believes they are 100% correct and can convince most people that she does indeed know what she is talking about. With the benefit of hindsight though you swiftly discover that is far from the truth. I also half wonder if producers have made her watch previous TV appearances from the lovely Ems Spencer and then got her to try to impersonate Ems! Wouldn’t it have been better and far easier to just employ the lovely Ems. Who was always entertaining, knew what she was talking about and likely to say something both biting and humorous at any minute.

Meanwhile. Shout at me if you wish for saying this. But isn’t putting Francesca Cumani and Hailey Turner together a bit akin to having the Lady from the Manor House appear beside her domestic. From appearances and sound it would appear so.

 

Thank goodness for the dry wit and knowledge of James Willoughby on Racing UK.

 

Listening to the Racing UK commentary of the 1000 Gns on a video clip kindly supplied by Cyclonic, I would say Simon Holt is still the best racing commentator in the UK.

 

Firstly, they do not have to be posh fillies to always believe they are 100% correct. That quality transcends class.

I did not have the ‘pleasure’ of ITV racing as I was at HQ. I saw Francesca swanning around followed by some young producer chappy and a camera crew doing her occasional bit to camera. Racing is still the uncontested home of nepotism with Rishi Persad being about the only person not born into the business. He was relegated to the role of holding the microphone under the winning jockey’s chin as the horse is led in on Guineas weekend rather than being told to ‘listen’ by Aidan.

Hayley Turner can be my domestic any day of the week and she will not be chained to the kitchen sink...

 

Having suffered a few hours of ITV racing, my wife gave up listening to the commentators uttering a load of rubbish, particularly Jason Weaver. I must admit I find Hayley Turner rather irritating. However, I manage to "switch off" and watch the racing. There was one race where the race commentator went through the whole field from first to last and left me wondering if my selection was actually running. I wonder how many others he left out. Big mistake not having Simon Holt commentating but then, given the quality of the rest of the team, maybe he didn't want the job.

 

But if your 'domestic' was the lovely Emma Spencer would you swap her for Ms Turner? I suspect not. Just proves that a diet of fillet steak is all well and good but occasionally a burger hits the spot.

 

As can an extra large courgette

 

Disgraceful!

 

Fair point, well made.

 

The lead bloke is the main problem for me.

But folks, let's not be too negative: we got the Craven meeting and now we are seeing Chester again. Let's celebrate that.

 

And Francesca is a huge improvement on Clare Balding in all departments.

 

Francesca spends a lot of time down here during the major carnivals. One of the problems I have with the lady is her legs. When she does the pre-race chat, I can't lift my eyes above her hips. I'm a pretty sad specimen.

 

Deary, deary me Cyc; reminds me of Men At Work (a pun in itself) and 'Land Down Under'!

Sad, possibly; perceptive, definitely!