Channel 4 Racing
Encyclopedia
Channel 4 Racing is the name given to the horse racing
coverage on the British television station Channel 4
.
, as it took over midweek coverage which had previously been on ITV
. On 5 October 1985, it took over ITV's Saturday afternoon coverage (previously The ITV Seven
) when World of Sport
finished. From the beginning of 1986, however, the amount of racing covered, especially on Saturday afternoons, was substantially reduced, and not until the late 1990s would it reach the scale it had enjoyed when it was on ITV.
When Channel 4 was a co-owner of the At the Races
satellite channel, that brand was also used on Channel 4's horse racing coverage, but when At The Races was sold to Sky
, the Channel 4 Racing brand was restored. Following the transfer, live coverage was produced by a consortium called 3on4 Productions (as some ITV companies, such as Anglia, assisted with production). It is now produced by Highflyer Productions.
which ran its lucrative Scoop6 bet, which secured the future of Channel 4 Racing.
However, Channel 4 Racing was thrown into doubt again in July 2007 when Totesport announced it was withdrawing its £2½ million per year sponsorship deal which subsidised the coverage, partly due to another dispute in the sport regarding Turf TV. Dubai Holding (a Middle-East based private hedge fund) have since taken over the sponsorship.
(throughout its history), the St Leger
at Doncaster
(throughout its history) and the Cheltenham Festival
(since 1995; previously it was covered by the BBC
). It also covered the Derby
and Oaks
from Epsom
from its inception up to and including 2000. From 2001 those events moved to the BBC
.
Internationally, it has covered a number of events over the years, including the Breeders' Cup
between 1990 and 1992 on location in the United States
and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
in France
between 1986 and 1994, as well as in 2001.
courses having initially signed a three-year contract which ran between 1 January 2007 and 31 December 2009 - the contract guarantees 80 days of racing each year on Channel 4. Coverage is sponsored by Dubai Holdings.
on Channel 4
.
It provides tips and advice for the forthcoming day's racing.
The show features contributions from a panel of racing pundits from the Channel 4 Racing team.
Commentators:
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
coverage on the British television station Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
.
History
The first transmission of racing on the channel was on 22 March 1984 from DoncasterDoncaster Racecourse
Doncaster Racecourse is a racecourse in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It hosts two of Great Britain's 31 Group 1 flat races, the St Leger Stakes and the Racing Post Trophy.- History :...
, as it took over midweek coverage which had previously been on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
. On 5 October 1985, it took over ITV's Saturday afternoon coverage (previously The ITV Seven
The ITV Seven
The ITV Seven was an essential part of World of Sport in the United Kingdom. It started on 4 October 1969 when the programme began to show horse racing from two courses each week rather than one, under the title "They're Off". In the early 1970s it changed to the ITV Seven, reflecting the number...
) when World of Sport
World of Sport (UK TV series)
World of Sport was a British television sport anthology programme which ran on ITV between 2 January 1965 to 28 September 1985 in response to competition from BBC's Grandstand...
finished. From the beginning of 1986, however, the amount of racing covered, especially on Saturday afternoons, was substantially reduced, and not until the late 1990s would it reach the scale it had enjoyed when it was on ITV.
When Channel 4 was a co-owner of the At the Races
At the Races
At The Races is a British television channel, originally co-founded with Channel 4, but now owned by a partnership between British Sky Broadcasting, Arena Leisure Plc and 30 UK racecourses....
satellite channel, that brand was also used on Channel 4's horse racing coverage, but when At The Races was sold to Sky
British Sky Broadcasting
British Sky Broadcasting Group plc is a satellite broadcasting, broadband and telephony services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, with operations in the United Kingdom and the Ireland....
, the Channel 4 Racing brand was restored. Following the transfer, live coverage was produced by a consortium called 3on4 Productions (as some ITV companies, such as Anglia, assisted with production). It is now produced by Highflyer Productions.
Withdrawal threat
Channel 4 announced that it was threatening to withdraw from coverage of racing in May 2005 due to spiralling costs. A controversial deal was signed with bookmaker TotesportThe Tote
The Tote, formerly the Horserace Totalisator Board, is a British bookmaker with head offices in Wigan. It was owned from its formation in 1928 by the UK Government but was sold to Betfred in July 2011. Under the brand totesport the Tote has 514 high street betting shops, outlets on Britain's 60...
which ran its lucrative Scoop6 bet, which secured the future of Channel 4 Racing.
However, Channel 4 Racing was thrown into doubt again in July 2007 when Totesport announced it was withdrawing its £2½ million per year sponsorship deal which subsidised the coverage, partly due to another dispute in the sport regarding Turf TV. Dubai Holding (a Middle-East based private hedge fund) have since taken over the sponsorship.
Coverage
Major events covered by Channel 4 have included the 1,000 Guineas and 2,000 Guineas at NewmarketNewmarket Racecourse
The town of Newmarket, in Suffolk, England, is the headquarters of British horseracing, home to the largest cluster of training yards in the country and many key horse racing organisations. Newmarket Racecourse has two courses - the Rowley Mile Course and the July Course. Both are wide, galloping...
(throughout its history), the St Leger
St. Leger Stakes
The St. Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 1 mile, 6 furlongs and 132 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in September.Established in 1776, the St. Leger...
at Doncaster
Doncaster Racecourse
Doncaster Racecourse is a racecourse in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It hosts two of Great Britain's 31 Group 1 flat races, the St Leger Stakes and the Racing Post Trophy.- History :...
(throughout its history) and the Cheltenham Festival
Cheltenham Festival
The Cheltenham Festival is one of the most prestigious meetings in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom, and has race prize money second only to the Grand National...
(since 1995; previously it was covered by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
). It also covered the Derby
Epsom Derby
The Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, internationally as the Epsom Derby, and under its present sponsor as the Investec Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
and Oaks
Epsom Oaks
The Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 10 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in early June....
from Epsom
Epsom Downs Racecourse
Epsom Downs is a Grade 1 racecourse near Epsom, Surrey, England. The "downs" referred to in the name are part of the North Downs. The course is best known for hosting the Epsom Derby, the United Kingdom's premier thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old colts and fillies, over a mile and a half...
from its inception up to and including 2000. From 2001 those events moved to the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
.
Internationally, it has covered a number of events over the years, including the Breeders' Cup
Breeders' Cup
The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Thoroughbred horse races, most but not all Grade I, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was a single-day event; starting in 2007, it expanded to two days. The location...
between 1990 and 1992 on location in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 flat horse race in France which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year, usually on the first Sunday in October.Popularly referred to as the...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
between 1986 and 1994, as well as in 2001.
Current portfolio
Channel 4 Racing mainly, but not exclusively, features meetings from the Racing UKRacing UK
Racing UK Limited was launched as a subscription channel in 2004 with 30 racecourses as shareholders. As Racing UK grew several other business units and joint ventures were developed....
courses having initially signed a three-year contract which ran between 1 January 2007 and 31 December 2009 - the contract guarantees 80 days of racing each year on Channel 4. Coverage is sponsored by Dubai Holdings.
The Morning Line
The Morning Line is a Saturday morning look at the day's live horse racingHorse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
.
It provides tips and advice for the forthcoming day's racing.
The show features contributions from a panel of racing pundits from the Channel 4 Racing team.
Presenters
Presenters:- Mike Cattermole (also commentator)
- Alastair Down
- John FrancomeJohn FrancomeJohn Francome MBE is a former National Hunt Champion Jockey.Born in Swindon the son of a railway fireman, his family had no connection with the horse racing world. At sixteen years old he became apprentice to Lambourn trainer Fred Winter and so began his career as a jockey. He rode a total of...
- Graham Goode (former main commentator, retired from programme)Graham GoodeGraham Goode is a British horse racing commentator best known for his long association with ITV and Channel 4.-Commentary career:...
- Lesley Graham
- Simon Holt (main commentator)Simon Holt (commentator)Simon Holt is a British horse racing commentator, who since the beginning of 2000 has been the main race commentator for Channel 4.-Commentary career:...
- Tom Lee
- Nick Luck
- John McCririckJohn McCririckJohn McCririck is an English television horse racing pundit. He is notable not only for his racing opinions but also for his old-fashioned style of dress and mannerisms...
- Jim McGrathJim McGrath (British commentator)Jim McGrath is an English-based horse racing pundit and broadcaster. He was associated with Timeform from 1974 until 2009.McGrath had an ambition to become a jockey, but after a summer at trainer Bill Marshall's yard at Whitsbury, he was advised that he wouldn't make the grade...
- John Oaksey (retired from programme)John Lawrence, 2nd Baron OakseyJohn Geoffrey Tristram Lawrence, 4th Baron Trevethin, 2nd Baron Oaksey is a British aristocrat, horse racing journalist and television commentator/presenter, and former amateur jockey. He is the son of the noted jurist Geoffrey Lawrence, 1st Baron Oaksey. He prefers to be called Oaksey although...
- Alice Plunkett
- Brough Scott (retired from programme)Brough ScottJohn Brough Scott is a British horse racing journalist, radio and television presenter, and former jockey. He is also the grandson and biographer of the noted Great War soldier "Galloper Jack" Seely....
- Emma Spencer (née Ramsden)
- Tanya Stevenson (betting expert and production secretary)
- Derek Thompson (also commentator)Derek Thompson (sports commentator)Derek Paul Thompson is a presenter and commentator of horse racing on Channel 4 in Britain.-Biography:...
Commentators:
- Ian Bartlett (also BBC TV)Ian BartlettIan Bartlett is a horse racing commentator and occasional analyst for the BBC.. He has also commentated for Channel 4 Racing.For the BBC's television coverage of the Grand National, Bartlett commentates on four sections of the 4½-mile steeplechase, from the 1st to 5th fence, 10th to 12th, 17th to...
- Richard Hoiles
- Mark JohnsonMark Johnson (announcer)Mark Johnson is a British thoroughbred horse racing announcer in both the United States and United Kingdom.Born in Skegness, Lincolnshire, Johnson attended King Alfred's College in Winchester, Hampshire and London College of Printing in Elephant and Castle, London receiving a bachelor's degree in...
- Stewart Machin
- Lee McKenzieLee McKenzie (male sports broadcaster)Lee McKenzie is a British broadcaster who specialises in sport, particularly horse racing. He has worked for BBC TV and Radio, Channel 4, Sky Sports, At The Races and Racing UK....