Glorious Goodwood

Nassau Stakes, they do all the talking, you just describe. In the back of your mind, you’re hoping that you can stay in the background and do it justice. You just hope that in those few seconds, as things are mulling around in your head, you come up with something that fits what other people are seeing.

“You hope that when it gets played back it’s not cringe-worthy - because it sounds contrived. You are aware, with those races, that they are the ones that will get played back time and again. It’s no good if your punch-line is 10 yards after the post, you always want it to end hitting the line.”

GLORIOUS THIRD FESTIVAL FOR CHANNEL FOUR AT GOODWOOD

This year’s Glorious Goodwood festival marks the third occasion that Channel Four has covered the annual summer showpiece since entering into a successful accord with Goodwood Racecourse.

The two hooked up in 2007 and the continuing relationship has brought a number of exciting innovations that have benefited the course and heightened the televisual experience for those armchair fans watching five afternoons of tremendous racing at home.

Rod Fabricius, for one, is delighted with the arrangement between the TV station and the racecourse.

Goodwood Racecourse’s managing director commented: “The partnership with Channel Four has been a great success. We see them regularly throughout the summer and that is probably the biggest bonus.

“There is now a continuity throughout our racing season. The profiling that they give us, because of their regular involvement with horseracing on a weekly basis is, in a sense, more consistent and more substantial than historically we have ever achieved.”

Channel Four broadcast nine days racing from the picturesque Sussex Course this year, including five days of extended coverage from this week’s flagship Glorious Goodwood meeting that runs from Tuesday, July 28, to Saturday, August 1.

The channel is living up to its commitment with extensive live coverage starting at 1.45pm and concluding at 4.15pm for the first four days of the meeting. Saturday’s programme, featuring the Bluesquare.com Stewards’ Cup and the Group One Blue Square Nassau Stakes, commences at 2pm and ends at 4pm. That final day’s coverage also includes the popular Morning Line programme from Goodwood at 8am.

Therefore, Channel Four will broadcast just under 13 hours of racing coverage from the course during Glorious Goodwood.

Last year’s coverage of Glorious Goodwood was watched by 3.2 million people which equates to 5.7 per cent of the UK population

The Channel Four television audience averaged 565,000 over the five day and the viewing figures peaked at 650,000 (7.4 per cent of the audience share).

Considerable efforts have been made to widen the audience appeal of Channel Four Racing.

Interest features, inserted between races, are the order of the day and Channel Four has upped the ante this year with the Audi Speed Challenge that sees presenters and jockeys give the Goodwood Motor Racing Circuit the Top Gear treatment.

Alastair Down and Emma Spencer will go head to head with top riders Frankie Dettori, Ryan Moore, Alan Munro, Martin Dwyer and Jim Crowley in a hair-raising spectacle that should provide ample opportunity for a horsepower pun or two. They each went two laps in an Audi RS6 with a capped maximum speed of 152mph.

Viewers can also look forward to the sight of the sartorially incomparable John McCririck exploring the allure of Goodwood’s favourite accessory, the panama hat, while John Francome and jockey Richard Hughes head to the Goodwood clubhouse to explore the history of golf.

There is a feature on leading trainer John Gosden, who is based in Newmarket, revisiting Lewes where he was brought up at the Heath House training yard of his late father Towser.

Local trainer William Knight, who operates out of Lower Coombe Racing Stables, Angmering Park, near Littlehampton, will also have the spotlight shone on him

The production team’s broadcasts have been well received. With 29 cameras being deployed including a portable single camera unit plus the state-of-the-art Vortex camera, Channel Four is maintaining its level of coverage from last year. The Vortex is an aerial camera system which has the ability to lift a camera from ground level to 30 metres in 15 seconds and it will provide dynamic views of the course.

A team of 80 technicians and production crew are involved with the Channel Four broadcast from the beautiful Sussex course.

Racegoers too will reap a noticeable benefit. Previously, Channel Four’s trucks and equipment have been conspicuously located racecourse side, prompting Goodwood to take the positive step of investing in extensive cabling that has enabled their removal to a more concealed site.