ITV Racing to bring in major broadcasting change this month with earliest ever live race

4 months ago 33

ITV Racing will ring in the new year with a major broadcasting change to its popular format.

Punters eager to get an early steer on the action can tune into The Opening Show from 9.30am on Saturday mornings.

ITV Racing will show the 10.10 at Lingfield on The Morning Show – for the first time ever[/caption]

But that programme will now, for the first time ever, feature a live race from Lingfield.

The action from the Surrey track on Saturday, January 20, will start at 10.10am – which is thought to be the earliest off time ever.

As such, the race, part of the track’s Winter Million Festival, will be broadcast on The Opening Show, usually presented by Sun Racing’s own Matt Chapman or Oli Bell.

The Lingfield meeting – where gates will open at 9am and the last race is 1.25pm – is off early as part of the new ‘premierisation’ of racing.

Bosses want to have a sacred window in the middle of the Saturday reserved for meetings at selected tracks.

ITV Racing is extending its commitment to the sport, with almost 120 days of racing to be shown this year.

There will be 100 ‘core days’ of top action plus new additions including the Irish Grand National, the Friday of Cheltenham’s October Showcase and the Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter.

Flat fans are also in for a treat with the Lingfield Millions meeting, plus the Sunday of the St Leger also being shown.

ITV Racing editor Richard Willoughby said: “We are excited about our schedule for 2024 bringing in some new races, a few more Sundays and trialling morning races into The Opening Show for the first time.

“We also are keen to continually evolve the way we analyse and broadcast racing to offer viewers the most engaging experience we possibly can.”

Part of that will include making more use of Ruby Walsh and the intriguing Race IQ project.

This new project delves deeper into data and graphics to help punters – and probably jockeys and trainers – understand why a race unfolded as it did.

The new year looks to be a busy one for TV companies – with one iconic British track to be shown on a new channel.