HOW DO YOU RATE THEM?

​Although there remains a whole lot of flat racing between now and the November Handicap, which makes, of course, a complete mockery of ‘Champions’ Day’ being the ‘finale’ to the season, today might be a good time to access the efforts of the I.T.V. presenters, the public face of British horse racing.
Overall, they are difficult to fault. I.T.V. has proved innovative and enthusiastic, with the prospect of top Irish racing on Sundays to further endear them to us, or at least to me. We all have our favourites, of course. Mine was, and remains when she appears on the programme, Hayley ‘the history-maker’ Turner. And because she is my favourite, I will always score her 10/10. She is attractive, amusing, informative and so damn nice I would vote for her in a general election even if she was standing as a Socialist.
Ed ‘Chuckles’ Chamberlain leads the team, I suspect, with an iron fist encased within a velvet glove. There is no doubting his enthusiasm, and at times knowledge, of the sport and without him I.T.V. racing would be, no doubt, rudderless when it came to dealing with the higher management of I.T.V. who hold the purse strings. He is, though, no Clare Balding. But then who is? At times he is prone to over-egg the pudding and though he has moderated his use of the word ‘monster’, the superlative he prematurely attached to the disappointing Caravaggio, he is yet to distinguish the very good from the very best. He is not alone in that. Great horses, apparently, appear every season on the flat. Enable might be. Cracksman could have. Roaring Lion we will never know. Alpha Centauri, best three-old-filly of the year but only in the very good category, I would estimate. I would give ‘Chuckles’ 8/10
Jason ‘the shark’ Weaver has proved himself the top tipster this season. He is either lucky or brilliant. I have yet to determine which. He is professional and knowledgeable and a safe pair of hands. I find him a bit of a mystery man and would appreciate knowing how much hands-on involvement he has with horses. The Shark would be a 9/10 man if it wasn’t for his repetitive use of ‘prelims’, leaving the uninitiated dangling as to what these mystery ‘prelims’ involve. 8/10.
‘Hardwearing Matt’ is the rough diamond of the pack. You either like him or loath him. There is no ‘oh, he’s okay, I suppose’ about Chapman. I like him, though his lack of professionalism when he talks over his colleagues is easy meat for those who loath him. Often, he is just plain wrong in his views, though to his credit he does acknowledge his shortcomings. He is the ‘enfant terrible’ of the team and because he is expected to be noisy and controversial the line he should not cross is rather hazy. ‘Hardwearing Matt’ is also a 9/10 man.
‘Fragrant’ Francesca Cumani is the brightest flower in the garden. She does, though, have a lot of Australian in her and her constant championing of the Melbourne Cup irks me more than a little. She is commentating on British horse racing, she should be reminded occasionally, and I would hope in compensation she bigs up the Ebor, Cambridgeshire and Grand National when she is in front of Australian television cameras. Other than being too Australian for an English rose with Italian antecedence she is a complete delight. She is another 9/10 performer.
Mick Fitzgerald is under-used, no doubt because he is over-used by his other employers. He does fall into the broadcasting trap of not wanting to criticise, which allows him to come across as a bit ‘wimpy’. But when there is time to fill he is the ace in the pack. 8/10
Luke ‘Mad-Hatter’ Harvey is a gem of a broadcaster. He can execute every aspect of the broadcasting art with bravado bordering on the psychotic. No one in the history of television has looked less at ease in a top hat and tails and yet he treated Royal Ascot no differently than if it were at Worcester on a Wednesday afternoon. As long as he remains sober and on the right side of sane he will always be a 10/10 man.
Sally-Anne Grassick is another who is under-used, especially during I.T.V’s coverage of both Royal Ascot and the Arc. A great substitute to call on, I suspect. Not enough form to give a definitive rating but a potential 9/10.
Rishi Persad has improved leaps and bounds since signing his I.T.V. contract and deserves more terrestrial air-time. Because of his skin-colour and ethnic background he is the right man to promote the sport to a different demographic. Again, he has the potential to be a 9/10 man.
As the pin-up boy of I.T.V. racing Oli ‘Ding Dong’ Bell should be enticing women of his age to the sport in droves. But is he? Dressing like his father can only be a hindrance to his cause. For all that, I like him. I liked him on the first show and like him just the same now. He is, though, a rotten tipster and he should stop embarrassing himself in the twenty-pound challenge. Play to your strengths, Ding Dong, and that is your sweet personality and your willingness to put your credibility at risk with the courage to be spontaneous in front of the camera. 9/10, though with plenty of potential.
I.T.V. racing 10/10. Keep up the good work.