Fillies galore!! (Channel 4 Racing)

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Product:	Channel 4 Racing
Date:	11/05/02 (895 review reads)
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As an avid horseracing fan and an ex bookmaker i often watch Channel 4's racing coverage(although not as often as i would like)!
Some things they do well,some things incredibly well and some things terribly.

Channel 4 certainly has the product for this show,they hold the rights for most of the top racecorses including Epsom,Cheltenham,Newmarket,Kempton and Sandown.
They cover all five English flat classics plus the Cheltenham National Hunt Festival and overseas events like the Dubai World Cup,Breeders Cup and the Arc de Triomphe.Ascot is the only remaining jewel in the crown they dont possess.

Racing coverage on weekdays consist of just the one programme in the afternoon but at weekends there is two:
The Morning Line(9 o clock ish)is an early morning preview show which has one star guest and consist of early market movers and a look at the runners in the big races including tips from the 'usual suspects' John Francome and Jim McGrapth,
followed in the afternoon by the actual racing coverage itself.
If you are actually going to the races i recommend the Morning Line as a must as it has loads of useful information such as traffic problems,non runners and course/time details,plus the tips and betting as previously mentioned.
Lets have a look at the presenters:
DEREK 'TOMMO' THOMPSON
Derek is supposed to be a ladies man and can often be seen trying to flirt with women in the parade ring usually without success.He lives in Newmarket the home of British racing and gets a lot of insider information which he passes on via his tipping phone line.He is one of the anchormen and has been around as long as i can remember,he comes across as a likable bloke but not a genuine horseman.
JOHN 'GREATEST JOCKEY' FRANCOME
John was a champion National Hunt jockey and is a hit with the ladies due to his curly hair and cute looks.His ex wife Miriam is a babe and works for rivals SKY racing.Hes a useful m
ember of the team as hes a genuine horseman who is a good judge of a horse-he is normally expected to choose the pick of the paddock.
JIM McGRAPTH
Also works for Timeform(the punters bible which rates horses on racetimes)and co-owns a few horses.Very knowledgable member who knows the form book inside out.
LESLEY GRAHAM
Supposed to be the totty element, and is married to Newmarket trainer Neil ,but fails miserably as she is quite ugly,i could be cruel and say shes difficult to spot amongst the horses-oops i did.On top of this i get the impression jockeys/owners/trainers find her annoying.
ALISTAIR DOWN
Glum faced anchorman who never smiles but is very knowledgable and writes regulary for the Racing Post.
JOHN McCRIRICK
The shows betting guru who is famed for his garish outfits and hideous facial hair.He is a failed bookie which isnt a coincidence but is definately the most famous of the presenters.

The afternoon show covers the racing and has many other things besides including a tipster competition where you ring in your selections for a cash prize and a picture puzzle caption where you have to name a horse running somewhere that day-these can keep you entertained between races.Heres a detailed analysis of the racing itself:
PRE RACE
A list of runners is read out complete with current betting odds,colours and jockeys followed by McCriricks opening betting exchanges which focuses on where the money is.
An area as a punter i concentrate most of my efforts on is watching the horses in the paddock as this is highly important-for example a horse may get upset or sweat up or look unfit and out of form in which case its chances are considerably lessened.
The show seriously falls down in this area,they tend to show most of the horses in big races but more often than not show very brief coverage(30 seconds)and sometimes none at all!I know the majority of people will already have placed a bet so it wont matter too much
but in the current expanding era of internet gambling i find it a major gripe being a serious racing man.
Coverage follows the horses running to post,a lot can be gained from this-horses actions suit different types of ground and indeed some horses lose their chance at the start running too freely and wasting energy.
The show covers this well at times but again frustratingly some races are only covered once theyve reached the post which isnt very useful at all.
The horses arrive at the post where they are followed round by the cameras usually punctuated with interviews and betting updates.
McCririck will often say Ladbrokes are backing this or Hills are backing that,basically this means that a major bookmaker stands to lose money on a horse and are covering their losses by using their on-course 'bagmen'to bring down certain starting prices!
Just before the off a table of positives and negatives are given for three categories:paddock(what impressed and what didnt),course(what impressed running down and what didnt)and betting(whats being supported and whats being ignored).This can be very informative but has known to be completely wrong more than once!7/10
THE RACE
I cannot critisize the standard of commentating at all as it has always been of the highest calibre.Ive never known a horse to be called wrong and commentators such as Graham Goode and Simon Holt are obviously very knowledgable racing men who have done their homework.10/10
POST RACE
Interviews ensue with the winning jockeys/trainers and owners most of which are very willing seen as they get a decent fee from Channel 4.
Big races usually have presentations which are covered impeccably.
The breeding of the winning horses are studied as well as future targets.
Re-runs of the race including very useful head on and overhead shots show just where the race was won and lost and what happened to the nag you had your hard earned lolly on!!I find this aspect of t
he coverage most interesting as you can see things which arent being pointed out such as horses that were unlucky in running or finishing tired(needs a shorter trip)or finishing fast(needs a longer trip)-lots of stuff for future reference.
A caption at the bottom of the screen list the full finishing order which can be useful if your not sure where your selection finished up.9/10
CONCLUSION
Overall i find Channel 4's coverage very entertaining and of above average quality,they do many things well and only fall down in a couple of areas.Over the years the show has improved tenfold and hasnt been afraid to change or embrace new ideas so current shortcomings may well be rectified in the future.
The amount of commercial breaks is somewhat annoying but i suppose thats how Channel 4 exist and finances its programmes so i cant really complain that much there.
Two presenters i hope will be replaced in the near future are Leslie Graham and Derek Thompson who can be tedious and whose racing knowledge is limited.

Overall 9/10

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