A top week of racing live on Channel 4

4 March 2014

From the 6th March Channel 4 and More 4 will have an incredible line up of live horseracing including the Cheltenham Festival featuring the Champion Hurdle, the Queen Mother Chase, the World Hurdle and the Cheltenham Gold Cup; and the Midlands Grand National.

Within that period, some 30 hours of live horseracing action will be shown, starting with a special Morning Line live from 11:30am – 12:30pm from Sandown Park on Saturday, March 8th.  Presented by Nick Luck with Graham Cunningham with journalists Dave Yates and Donn McClean, the show will be heavily dosed in Festival fever while previewing the on-the-day action featuring the Grade 3 Imperial Cup Hurdle off at 3:15pm.

Channel 4 Racing: Cheltenham Festival coverage starts daily on March 11th – 14th and incorporates some 23 hours of live championship action.  Nick Luck will present The Morning Line live from 8am with former top jump jockey Mick Fitzgerald track-side to give his expert evaluation of that day’s runners and Sam Thomas reporting from the stables.  The breakfast show will be packed with features, racing news, tips and a daily guest to provide viewers with crucial pointers for the day ahead.

Clare Balding and Nick Luck will present Channel 4’s high definition Festival coverage which begins at 12:35 – 4:30pm with a daily delivery of five championship races.  Reporters Alice Plunkett, Rishi Persad and Mick Fitzgerald will compliment a top punditry team that includes Jim McGrath, Graham Cunningham and the formidable Ted Walsh.  Brian Gleeson will also be on hand to provide the latest news on the strong Irish contenders alongside betting expert Tanya Stevenson with Simon Holt calling home the winners for his fourteenth consecutive year.  Once again, Alastair Down will deliver daily essay-style preview packages.

An array of racing features will be shown across the afternoons with an exclusive four-part Ruby Walsh series leading the field.  The team will also reveal Ireland’s most powerful pack with a behind the scenes at Willie Mullins, and UK trainer Paul Nicholls discusses his Festival fancies and the attributes of his top horses from the comforts of Electric House cinema.  Festival Favourites selected by Simon Holt and a variety of individual features on jockeys Sam Twiston Davies and Bryan Cooper will provide viewers with a wealth of racing knowledge.

Throughout the week, Channel 4 will broadcast four 45-minutes Evening Highlights programmes showcasing the day’s finest action. 

Jamie Aitchison, Channel 4’s Commissioning Editor for Sport, says: “We have an outstanding period of sport on Channel 4 in which horseracing has over 30 hours of terrestrial exposure.  This Cheltenham Festival will be unique – surrounded by other sporting and event programming – a real feast for sporting fans.

“Once again, IMG and our racing presenters relish the challenges of Cheltenham and we look forward to delivering creative and informative programming.”

Channel 4 online will complement the four-day spectacle with multi-media live text commentary throughout the Festival with strong social media activities.

Channel 4’s second-screen app - HorseTracker - app will make its Festival operational debut for all 20 championship races.

The freely available Horse Tracker App provides users with the chance to select any number of horses, see their speed, position, distance to the leader and watch them progress around the prestigious Prestbury track.  The app combines Monterosa's LViS second screen technology, real-time TurfTrax data to provide the speed and position of every horse in the race, and audio watermarking from Civolution to synchronise to TV broadcast.  

James Rutherford, Channel 4’s Multiplatform Commissioner for Sport, explains: “Last year, Horse Tracker was a huge success at the Grand National with over 100,000 people using it across the race.  We are excited to bring this service to Cheltenham Festival and offer both casual and regular racing fans the chance to get closer to the horses and races at this four-day event.”

Come Saturday, 15th March the Channel 4 Racing team will review the UK’s finest jump racing Festival on The Morning Line at 9am on More4 – a slot adjustment to accommodate the Paralympic Winter Games.  Followed by afternoon racing that takes in six races from Uttoxeter and Kempton Park Racecourses including the second longest race in UK history – the Midlands Grand National run over four miles plus.