Brimming with potential or over-sanitised racing promo? - what the wider media are saying about Champions: Full Gallop

Racing's great new hope for attracting a fresh audience and sparking fan engagement aired during primetime on Friday evening, with ITV broadcasting the first of six episodes of Champions: Full Gallop at 9pm. The first three episodes were available on ITVX from Friday morning.

Fortunately for racing the internet has been awash with hot takes and reviews, so let's take a look at what people are saying.

The most critical response was from The Telegraph, written by racing correspondent Marcus Armytage, the Grand National-winning rider. 

Under the headline "Champions: Full Gallop the version of horse racing ITV wants you to see" sits a largely negative piece.

Complaints include the almost total spotlight being on the King George VI Chase in episode one; the portrayal of jockeys at the start not helping Nico de Boinville, whose brilliance is perceived to be overlooked; that Champion Hurdle winner Constitution Hill, who raced on the same afternoon as the King George, doesn't get a look-in; that the support of Flutter, Racecourse Media Group and ITV means the series comes across as a racing promo; that the coverage is over-sanitised, with Shishkin's death later in the season and the well-publicised bullying of Bryony Frost both bypassed.

But Champions: Full Gallop has to pick and choose where to focus. Armytage does at least acknowledge the need to bring new eyes to racing, something he hopes it is successful in doing.

The job of sporting documentaries is to entertain and that is easier to do by simplifying rather than forcing centuries of complication into the first 45 minutes of what can hopefully become a long-running series.

Harry Cobden, Nico de Boinville, Sean Bowen, Bryony Frost, Harry Skelton and Gavin Sheehan at the London premiere of Champions: Full GallopCredit: Joe Maher

The Daily Mail's racing correspondent Dominic King and The Sun's Matt Chapman, who also works for ITV Racing, both make these points in their reviews of the first episode.

Chapman wrote: "As with all these types of shows, every viewer will come away thinking, why did producers not do this or that. I’m the same. Before you get bogged down about that, though, you have to remember each show is just 45 minutes long. At the end of the day, you can’t put everything in."

King went further, expressing that while some elements may have been overlooked, more importantly the first episode took him to places and exposed things that were new to him, even as a seasoned viewer.

He said: "When you get taken so close to the action, you crave to see more. It is why Champions: Full Gallop is brimming with the potential to leave armchair viewers gasping at racing's omnipresent danger or bonding with the infectious characters – human and equine – who make the sport what it is."

Therein lies the great complexity that those behind Champions: Full Gallop will have to balance. Racing is an extreme sport and inherent danger is part of the appeal and an easy way to sell the drama – much as with Drive To Survive. And yet to have longevity it will need to, eventually rather than in episode one, deal with some of the uncomfortable truths highlighted by Armytage.

And here's what people have been saying on X

@CorneliusRacing: "Binge-watched first 3 eps of Champions: Full Gallop on @ITVX ; enjoyable, at best when allowed to flow; much of build-up surrounded @CobdenHarry but plenty of others in good form, esp @NdeBoinville & great to hear from Susannah Ricci/Mrs @DSkeltonRacing (both often in shadows)"

@rachwardracing: "Just watched the first 3 episodes of @itvracing Champions Full Gallop on the ITVX app & I must say as an avid racing fan & someone who will be coming into the industry to work it was FANTASTIC. I can’t wait to see the next 3 episodes. Huge well done to all involved"

@TheCaulfieldWay: "My word, what a series, already. Early shout, Harry Cobden, the new James Bond. Nico de Boinville as Q Naturals #championsfullgallop"

@ianbyers: "Having watched the first three episodes of Champions Full Gallop on @ITVX I have really enjoyed it. Congratulations to everyone involved in making the series I’m really looking forward to the next three. #FullGallop"

@DavidCrosse: "Really, really enjoyed Champions Full Gallop on @ITV. Even though I knew the result I couldn’t wait to see who won the King George @GavinSheehan92"

@AdamRoom17: "Fully enjoyed @itvracing Champions Full Gallop first three episodes and looking forward to the next three. I wonder if there’s a plan to do a version of Flat racing too? I hope so! #ITVRacing #FullGallop"

@IzzyPhillips: "Well done all involved with Champions: Full Gallop. Just watched the first episode. I thought it was excellent! This is what we need – investment in the stories that are the reason we all love the sport! So sad to think Shishkin is gone though!"

@PercyBlakeney63: "Champions: Full Gallop is absolutely brilliant. A must-see. I was lucky enough to back Hewick for the King George and we were up at Aintree to see Kamsinas run for @FOBRacing and @ndfehily. How anyone cannot love Shark Hanlon is beyond me!!!"

@GoingBehind: "Champions: Full Gallop was exactly what I expected. Dull as dishwater. Too many opinions and not enough nitty gritty. Just like ITV Racing in general. What an opportunity missed. . ."

Read these next:

'Harry is Hollywood' - Cobden is the star as Champions: Full Gallop sets out to sell racing 

'I hope it gets across what a great game it is' - Paul Nicholls backs ITV's all-access docuseries to win over new fans 

'It's like being centre-circle at a Euros game' - Ed Chamberlin hails 'great insight' of ITV's new jump racing series 

'I felt like I was taking off' - King George thrills and spills light up opening episode of Champions: Full Gallop 

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