I'd agree with you up to a point that it is a minority interest, but the vast majority of viewers who watch football/rugby/cricket highlights watch to see the event, not because they have a bet on it. Racing is different to most sports in that a number of its prime events still take place on weekday afternoons when people are in work.

One night this coming week the Cheltenham highlights aren't on until 1.10 am which is a disgrace - surely they could have found a slot at 8/9pm on one of the channels for them - or is this just a sulk for having lost the contract?

Possibly not, but for the big festivals it may be worth a try.

I don't know what they've done, but the volume on RUK HD is stupidly high. I'm sure it's not my TV as its the only channel I have to turn down to listen to.

Bound to be plenty of sad faces at channel 4 this week as they broadcast their last Cheltenham festival.
I think it moved from the Beeb in 95 so over 20 years of excellent coverage.
They really have done Cheltenham proud and been instrumental in raising its profile to what is the biggest week of the year for the sport.
I hope ITV know what they are getting and treat it just as well.

For me this morning highlighted the problem with the recent format of The Morning Line. The big race of the day is the Champion Hurdle and yet it took them 50 minutes to get round to analysing it (having been through other races first) and then they only had 3 or 4 minutes to spend on it before they went off air

Agree, and why didn't they ask Ruby about the decision to run vatour in the Ryanair.

Pathetic wasn't it. And 5 minutes on Go karts

Aren't you contradicting yourself a little there ? Saying how well C4 cover it and then slating them.

Personally I think C4 used to do a good job but went downhill a couple of years ago when they changed producers, presenters etc.

Slightly, my original post was to highlight what a good job they have done with Cheltenham over a 20 year period, their main show was still excellent yesterday.

It was posted before the morning line and that daft piece on go karts, which they did to promote motor racing.

The main show is fine week in week out, the morning has really suffered because I believe they don't know what it should be there for.

Still thanks for pointing it out Darren, the internet was made for people like you. :-|

Charles Sale reports that John Francome has turned down an approach from ITV. Good of the Daily Mail to clarify that John's the one on the right of the picture
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/art...017-offer.html

Simon Holt at his best yesterday in Queen Mother Champion Chase, could feel emotion in his call. Brilliant.

Best commentator on telly for my money.

Don't know if you are having a dig at me.

I stand by what I said too. C4 Cheltenham coverage is a shadow of its former self. When it was Fat Al, Thommo, Francs etc you had some humour too. Too slick nowadays, which is one reason why viewing figures for C4 Racing are not what they were.

Im just miffed Countdown isnt on this week, always watch the repeat in the mornings to wake me up before going to work, having to make do with BBC Breakfast yesterday and today (and more than likely tomorrow and Monday)

Maybe, or maybe I'm complimenting you at the lengths you've gone to, to pick me up on something?

Hardly Sherlock Holmes stuff was it ? Two posts next to each other one saying one thing, one saying another. Seems to have upset you though. Didn't mean it to.

It hasn't upset me Darren, it made me smile.

I couldn't agree more with this post. It's boring coverage and lacks any sense of joie de vivre.

Did Nina carberry win or pendleton disgraceful by ch 4.

Rather glossed over by everyone, but I suspect that if Pasha had been steered by a more experienced jockey then it would have won, as Pendleton took no risks over the last and had so much horse under her in the last half furlong that it looked like she'd actually get up to win given another 50-75 yards.

On the other hand, I think most would agree that Pendleton's involvement will have raised the sport's profile among people who don't generally follow it, so not surprised that Channel 4 played it up. They weren't the only ones - this evening's Five Live Sport (7pm) had a deconstruction of how well Pendleton had done that was at least as long as the discussion of the rest of the day's racing, and barely a mention of Nina Carberry.

Carberry got plenty of coverage of her own over the four days on Channel 4 though, with a piece filmed at her home and the team playing up her chances in the Cross-country race.

I disagree. They had to give Victoria Pendleton coverage because she was the mainstream interest, but they gave Nina Carberry plenty of credit and made effort to stress she was the real story. I thought they got the balance spot-on. And as for any criticism of her ride from brundlebud, she was riding a 16-1 shot so it's pure hindsight to say she should have won- she rode very well in my opinion.

Actually it was 28/1 but i agree with you completely. All these comments ( in Horse Racing ) from experts who say a more experienced jockey would have won. Nobody knows that as the horse would have been ridden totally different from the start, not from the last fence.

The BBC put queen Vic before the gold cup.

Yeah, and she actually rode to instructions. (As you are supposed to) - she didnt ride her horse too dissimilar to how Nina rode the winner, but of course Nina with years of experience had the tactical nouse where Victoria just crept & crept. Its an amateurs race after all.

I wasn't meaning to be overly-critical. I thought she gave the horse a decent ride and I'm sure it was to orders, but even on first watching I felt she left it too late - Pasha was the last horse still on the bridle and was finishing quickest. For a jockey still in her first year of riding it was a super achievement, but if I'd had money on her I would have been a little annoyed.