ITV coverage welcomed but HRI unlikely to plug Christmas festival gap

Horse Racing Ireland is looking forward to Irish meetings playing a crucial role in the ITV Racing Christmas Festival, but it is unlikely it will add another fixture to its schedule to make it a week-long spectacular of coverage in the future.

The ITV Racing Christmas Festival will show six days and more than 18 hours of high-class action between December 26 and January 1 from 12 different tracks in Britain and Ireland, including the third and fourth days of Leopardstown's Christmas meeting and Tramore's New Year's Day card.

ITV lead presenter Ed Chamberlin on Monday credited the work behind the scenes, including from HRI and the BHA, in helping to bring together a Christmas festival.

While eight Grade 1s, including the Savills Chase and Matheson Hurdle from Leopardstown, will be shown, there is a blank day of terrestrial television action on December 30 before it returns on New Year's Eve.

The question of finding a fixture, possibly from Ireland, to plug the gap on December 30 had been raised, but the HRI's director of racing Jason Morris believes it will not be viable.

"We are very appreciative of the expanded ITV coverage and would always consider suggestions for how we could further showcase Irish racing on the channel," he said.

"But we have always deliberately left December 30 blank in case we have to relocate one of the cards from the four-day Christmas Festivals at Leopardstown or Limerick for weather reasons.

"The New Year's Eve fixture at Punchestown and two New Year's Day meetings at Fairyhouse and Tramore are all very well attended, traditional dates for the tracks.

"It is also a very busy period for stable staff and everyone working in the industry with 12 meetings in seven days, so adding an extra fixture into December 30 looks unlikely."

Jumps cards from Haydock and Taunton in Britain on December 30 will not be shown on ITV, but the BHA is determined to make the Christmas Festival "the most compelling viewing possible".

Tom Byrne, head of BHA racing and betting, said: "We recognise the importance of the festive period to racing, with many who may not be regular viewers tuning in to see some of our biggest races during one of the busiest spells in the sporting calendar.

"It is vital that we seek to make the most of ITV Racing's coverage by ensuring the best possible action is placed in that shop window. Along with colleagues from across the sport, we are delighted to have worked with ITV to optimise running orders for each day's racing, and make sure race times best fit their broadcast schedules.

"We will also be taking a flexible approach to running orders for the fixtures being carried by ITV from Leicester on December 28 and Doncaster on December 29, ensuring that the most competitive races from both of those meetings take place during the ITV Racing schedule to make for the most compelling viewing possible."

Introducing the ITV Racing Christmas Festival

The ITV Racing Christmas Festival features six days of top-class action on the channel from 12 different tracks in Britain and Ireland between December 26 and January 1.

Some 41 live races will be shown in all, including eight Grade 1s such as the King George VI Chase, with the Welsh Grand National and Cheltenham's New Year's Day card among the big-race highlights across a spectacular six days of racing on terrestrial television across the festive period.

December 26
Kempton: King George VI Chase day
Wetherby: Rowland Meyrick Chase day

December 27
Chepstow: Welsh Grand National day
Kempton: Desert Orchid Chase day

December 28
Leopardstown: Savills Chase day
Leicester

December 29
Leopardstown: Matheson Hurdle day
Doncaster

December 31
Newbury, Warwick and Lingfield

January 1
Cheltenham, Musselburgh and Tramore

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