They probably will cover another meeting on the Saturdays of those aforementioned meetings. It's my opinion that the Derby and Grand National especially should't have races from other meetings; it's akin to a US TV station covering an American Football match just before the Superbowl, or a live football match shown in England just before the FA Cup final starts (though sadly that is now starting to happen).

On another note C4 no longer publicise the Scoop 6, following Betfred's acqusition of the Tote.


After that meeting, that will be that as far as racing is concerned on the BBC.

If Chepstow is called off do you think that they will show action from Kempton or Leopardstown instead to prevent an anti-climax of their last days coverage?

Channel 4 isn't showing the second day of Kempton.

Channel 4 stopped promoting the Scoop6 before the acquistion

http://www.theracingforum.co.uk/hors...93&start=&sid=

The BBC do not have the rights to show Kempton Channel 4 have the sole rights to this course.

Betfed acquired the Tote in (the summer of IIRC) 2011; C4 stopped promoting summer 2012.

On the front of today's Racing Post, there is a report (not available online unfortunately) stating that the Grand National, Derby, Champions Day and the Saturday of Royal Ascot will all have stand-alone coverage with no races from other meetings included within the broadcast. Makes sense.

True.

Ken

Wrong, the BBC could show some of day 2 of Kempton if they so wished as C4 aren't showing it.

A few years a go the BBC did show the second day at Kempton as well as Chepstow because C4 decided not to.

I agree. None of them coincide with anything of great importance elsewhere. Champions' Day has been the same day as the Showcase meeting at Cheltenham but the October meeting, as it was then called, was always a midweek affair without terrestrial TV coverage until 2007 and isn't really important within jump racing; the real stuff hasn't quite started at that stage.

It's not like there is a trial for the PPGC at the meeting.

Personally i would prefer to see more actual racing augmented by appropriate pre-race analysis and post race interviews. Less face time for the presenting team please.

Oh, you know what I mean. The real focus, outside the diehards, isn't on jumping quite yet. I wouldn't be surprised if it's eventually moved to a different Saturday to secure live coverage, anyway.

Tomorrows Racing Post saying that Channel 4 will show all 30 races from Royal Ascot, the first time ever there's been blanket coverage on terrestrial tv

http://twitter.com/tonypaley/status/280412540209618945

Now all we need is the entire Cheltenham festival.

However I am somehat worried by the 88 days of coverage (DWC and Arc pending). After the Saturday cards that leaves just 26 days. These are the weekday/Sunday (in 2013) fixtures broadcast on terrestrial televison in 2012.

Jumps: Cheltenham (2+1+1+4=8), Aintree (2), Kempton (1)

Flat: Newmarket (1+2+1=5), Chester (3), York (3+3=6), Epsom (1), Ascot (4), Goodwood (4), Doncaster (2)

Total=36

This means that ten days coverage will be lost.

This is in addition to the following no longer being shown:

Newmarket 2 days in April, 27 December (Kempton and now Newbury, G1 +2 G2 races).

Plus Haldon Gold cup day is now on RUK and it seems that cuts will be made to the number of Saturdays on which three courses are featured.

Have you done your maths correctly? According to mine nothing has been lost!

At 3am in the morning 88-52=26 but now it appears to=36

Willie Hill's gone from Text on 4; and the whole service is going on 7th January 2013.

Seems the BBC's last race day may not happen

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/wales/20787386

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/c...l-through-2013

If the meeting is off, and moved to say Early Jan could the BBC still not show it as it was 'their' meeting under this contract, or is it because it's 2013 it's game over, good night?

Good piece by Julian Wilson in today's Express about the history of BBC horse racing coverage

Game over. However, if Chepstow was to be abandoned, it would be interesting to see what they do as a contingency plan; would they look back at some of the great races that they covered over the last 60-odd years, or would they not give a s**t and show a film instead?

My guess would be the latter. And it would be somewhat fitting given the attitude of those in the higher echelons of BBC Sport. In the Racing Post yesterday, Lee Mottershead hit the nail on the head saying its the powers that be within BBC Sport - and he singled out Roger Mosey and Barbara Slater - are responsible for the erosion and ultimately the termination of their racing coverage.

BBC Won't be getting their final fling at chepstow. Meet been abandoned and rescheduled for Janurary 5th

I notice he had a pop at C4 - didn't he want to go and work for them but didn't thinking P O'S was retiring?

Thats it then i guess, out with a wimper

Yes, he accused them of trivialising horse racing.

Rather ironically he said “For us, racing was serious, we weren’t interested in the gimmicks, people dressed up in purple suits, schoolboy humour, interviewing the best dressed women and children.” He seems to be suffering memory loss as that is what the BBC's coverage descended into, you'd be hard pressed to tell if Royal Ascot was a fashion show or a race meeting.

It is sad the BBC turned its back on racing but I for one won't lament that its banal coverage is now over, only that Balding is going to C4.