A significant gap in the team that will present racing on ITV next year was filled on Friday when Matt Chapman, one of the most experienced broadcasters on the At The Races digital channel, was confirmed as ITV Racing’s betting reporter and presenter.
Chapman currently works as a studio presenter and a racecourse reporter for ATR, bringing a direct, outspoken style to the roles. At times, he seems to whip up arguments just for the sake of it, but Chapman also has a strong understanding of what matters to ordinary punters, whether it is a lacklustre ride on a hot favourite or going descriptions that seem to have been plucked out of the air.
If that sounds familiar, it is. A similar approach made John McCririck one of the most recognised faces in racing – and broadcasting in general – during a 30-year career in the ring that ended in 2012, when he was dropped from the Channel 4 team Racing.
Chapman will team up with the former Ladbrokes employee Ed Chamberlin, who has been recruited from Sky Sports to be ITV Racing’s main anchor, and Francesca Cumani, the daughter of Newmarket trainer Luca, who has been named as a co-presenter.
Chapman, who has confirmed he will also remain on At The Races, will be expected to bring a punchy approach to ITV’s coverage. Some viewers felt that Channel 4’s coverage lost some of its spark and cutting edge without McCririck to stir things up and it is a point that will not be lost on Chapman or ITV’s producers now that they have four years to establish themselves as the new home of terrestrial racing coverage.
He said: “I’m very fortunate to be part of an ITV team that loves sport and loves racing, which has captivated me since a very young age. This role provides me with a terrific opportunity to mix the serious world of punting with the fun of a great sport.
The terrific news - at least for me! - is @ITVSport have no issue with me continuing with the fab @AtTheRaces. ATR has made me. Yeeehaaa!
— Matt Chapman (@MCYeeehaaa) September 16, 2016
“The ring at a racetrack is often the thumping heartbeat of any course. The betting area brings movement and colour and can often predict the outcome of a race. Mix that with the many characters racing incorporates and you have a cocktail that I hope viewers will embrace.”
Niall Sloane, ITV director of sport, said on Friday that Chapman “will bring his unique voice and character to our coverage, offering viewers a lively guide to each day’s betting prospects”, while stating that his new role provides “a terrific opportunity to mix the serious world of punting with the fun of a great sport”.
Several more well-known names are expected to join ITV’s roster, including the former jockeys Mick Fitzgerald and Hayley Turner, and Oli Bell, currently a presenter on Racing UK. However, ITV’s team-building received a setback recently when John Hunt, their main target for the role of senior commentator, turned down their offer to remain with the BBC.
Chapman had been strongly linked to a move to ITV, but finally put pen to paper just a couple of hours before a presentation to potential advertisers at Millbank Tower in London. ITV revealed that it plans to show 40 days of racing on its main channel next year, rather than the minimum of 34 required by its contract.
Chapman and Chamberlin teamed up on stage for part of the presentation, prompting one member of the audience to suggest that there was chemistry between the pair. Chapman said that he was looking forward to working with the former presenter of Sky’s Monday Night Football.
“Ed is the perfect leader for the team,” he said. “He’s a hugely experienced and natural broadcaster, someone that we can all look up to and also I hope someone that I can learn from.
“I’ve been overwhelmed by all the messages I’ve had since the news was announced. People sometimes say I’m Marmite, but the response from trainers, jockeys and everyone else has been overwhelmingly positive.”
The Craven meeting at Newmarket in April, which was dropped by Channel 4 a decade ago, will return to the schedule. The two-day meeting, which includes the Craven Stakes, a major trial for the 2,000 Guineas, will be among nearly 60 days of racing to be broadcast on ITV4, which will also carry a magazine-style programme every Saturday, similar to the current Morning Line on Channel 4. This will start at 10am, an hour later than Morning Line, to ensure that it is as up-to-date and relevant as possible for punters.
Meetings scheduled for the main ITV channel include all five Classics, Royal Ascot, York’s Ebor Festival and Glorious Goodwood on the Flat, and the Cheltenham Festival, the Grand National meeting and King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day over jumps.
The increase in days to be shown on ITV is particularly good news for Newmarket, the headquarters of British Flat racing, which seemed threatened with one afternoon of action on the main channel when ITV’s four-year contract was agreed. Five of the six extra fixtures on the main channel are from Newmarket, including the 1,000 Guineas in May, the July Cup and Future Champions Day in October. The Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe meeting at Chantilly on 2 October will now be covered in a three-hour broadcast by Sky Sports after Channel 4 opted not to show it. Racing UK and At The Races are already committed to covering Europe’s richest race.
