Sports Presenter of the Year Ed Chamberlin on his experience of racing over Christmas and what he'd like to see changed moving forward.
In November it felt like the sport was on its knees. We had the budget and its after-effects, the potential chasm opening between bookmakers and the sport.
We had small fields, uncompetitive racing, the daily grind seemed to be settling in. I really felt it at the Broadcast Awards. I went there with my editor Richard Willoughby and in a room of 750 people, we were the only two peope from horse racing.
I felt very down about the sport then but what a different feeling I have now after it burst back into life over Christmas. I’ve been in the privileged position of being on the podium, right at the heart of it, and it’s been a complete joy.
I’ve had messages from people who’ve never mentioned racing to me before, saying how much they’ve enjoyed what they’d seen. I’ve been stopped in a garage and the supermarket to talk about the King George, the remarkable finish and Harry Redknapp owning the winner.
Whatever you think about the latter – had Banbridge or Gaelic Warrior won, do you think we’d have seen pictures of Ronnie Bartlett and Susannah and Rich Ricci on all the back pages and the front one of the Telegraph too?
You first got a feel of what was to come at Ascot, the weekend before Christmas. I go with my family on the Friday, for a day out, and we absolutely love it. They do the festive meetings better than anywhere there.
And on the Saturday, Long Walk day, they attracted a bumper crowd, loads of goodwill. The feel-good factor was back.
From there we went onto Kempton where a few years ago I had a long conversation with the then chief executive of the Jockey Club over why so little effort seemed to go into the meeting and the venue itself. It felt neglected.
It’s the single day that attracts by far the biggest audience of the winter on ITV, close to one million again this time, but that buzz, that sense of occasion was missing for people who were there.
All that was on offer back then was a complimentary mince pie being handed out to racegoers as they came into the course, but it was raining and the person handing them out didn’t even have an umbrella.
Now they decorate the place better, there were bands, people dressed as Christmas trees, stilt walkers. It felt like a family day out. And the people flocked back.
They deserved the big crowd on Boxing Day but with that it did feel as though the facilities were creaking. At a time when its very future is again the subject of discussion, Kempton still needs more love.
I was so envious of Luke Harvey being at Chepstow for the Coral Welsh National 24 hours later. Anyone who saw the wonderful scenes of Rebecca Curtis and Sean Bowen celebrating after Haiti Couleurs won, what it meant to them, would probably have said to their mum or dad ‘I’d love to see this’.
It was packed to the rafters again, there’s a real sense watching on of people there having a great day out, taking pride in the event, and a race meeting that really matters.
I was at Kempton that afternoon which often feels very much a case of after the Lord Mayor’s show but even with – let’s be fair – a very ordinary day of racing, there was still a buzz about the place.
I thought Olive Nicholls being interviewed by her sister after winning aboard Viroflay was a lovely moment and I’m sure it cut through with the families watching on from home.
From there we went to Newbury on the 29th and that’s a racecourse that has got its mojo back under the leadership of Shaun Hinds. Again, there was masses to do for the family and a great attendance.
Growing up my favourite day out was going to Newbury but then it felt for a couple of decades that the course fell into a real lull. But now it’s back, and like the Newbury of old. It’s a social destination again and the crowd was so young on the 29th. It was so heartening to see.
You had Max McNeill and his family, the Barbers, radiating joy after No Drama This End won the Challow. The smiles were back on the faces. And you heard that Taunton was packed, as were Warwick, Kelso, Uttoxeter and the like in the coming days. Up and down the land more people were going racing.
It was good news everywhere and then Cheltenham on New Year’s Day took it to a whole new level with a sell-out crowd of 44,000.
I posed the question on ITV Racing from Sandown on Saturday: why were attendances so massively up and what lessons can we learn from it?
Tom Scudamore made some salient points.
"It was absolutely fantastic to see so many people at Kempton and Cheltenham, but it was also very heartening to see so many people at Taunton, Uttoxeter and Warwick on New Year’s Eve," he said.
"There were 8,000 people at Taunton, 11,000 at Warwick, people were complaining there was too much noise at Uttoxeter with the crowds they had there. It was absolutely fantastic.
"And that’s very important. If you get the foundations right, at the basic level, then it rises all the way through. I think one of the reasons why there were 44,000 people at Cheltenham is that 11,000 wanted to go to Warwick the day before."
For me the weather was a massive help. With dry winter days, people wanted to get out and about.
But I think a mix of other factors contributed too. The ‘Going Is Good’ campaign has been ridiculed in places but I’m sure it’s been a positive and I think we underestimate the appeal of under-18s getting in for free. Racing does make other sports look expensive at times.
The various storylines have been good news, the love being shared among the big winners. Mullins isn’t dominating, Elliott is in the mix, so many different winners from so many different yards is refreshing.
And the joy people showed in winning is so important too, the smiles on people’s faces. It mattered to them – and helps make it matter to us.
Why were there so many young people? Invades and Dom Matcham have played a big part in that. Raceday TV on social media really works too, Frankie Foster and the rest of the team do a great job with that.
It all matters. My teenagers came racing three times over Christmas, that’s never happened before.
I also have a theory that there’s a real feeling of sticking two fingers up to the government right now. People are defying them by saying I fancy a day out, I fancy a drink, I fancy a punt and are determined to enjoy themselves. There are few better days out than an afternoon at the races.
Hopefully, ITV Racing has played a part, showcasing the sport to our broad church, showing how fun it can be and encouraging people to go racing. We want them watching our broadcasts, of course we do, but equally we want them in the racecourses, enjoying it live, seeing everything that the sport can offer.
In 2026 we will have 117 live days of horse racing on our channels – and despite it being a World Cup year, over 70 will be on ITV1. We will continue to do our bit to try and drive the sport forward.
But for all Christmas was great, we can do better still. Jump racing is so popular but could and should be even bigger. If you were a venture capitalist and swept up racing, what would you do to ensure the crucial two weeks we’ve just enjoyed make an ever larger impact?
Ascot won’t budge before Christmas; that’s a very lucrative fixture and won’t change. We have to accept that. But I do think we can do more after Christmas by having a big meeting every day right through to Cheltenham on New Year’s Day.
You could move the Formby at Aintree to have its own big, standalone day. Give Musselburgh the chance to shine in the spotlight in Scotland, Wetherby in Yorkshire while incorporating the brilliant racing in Leopardstown.
It would mean you have the most unbelievable spell of racing leading into Cheltenham on the first day of the New Year.
Sandown on Saturday did feel low-key and while there’s no harm in having a lull post-Christmas, I do think this Saturday should be Welsh National day.
Imagine continuing the momentum through to the first weekend of January, everyone heading to Chepstow because it’s the biggest show in town. It was a great day on the 27th with a Welsh winner of great race, but it’s a meeting that does get lost on the terrestrial platform.
If racing laid on a spell like that, I’m sure ITV would be right on board.
I’m fully aware of the dark clouds hovering over us right now, the challenges we face in 2026, but I hope people who watched that action over Christmas, sponsors, bookmakers, potential racegoers, all saw that when horse racing gets it right, there isn’t much to beat it.
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