ED CHAMBERLIN: There couldn't have been a better ad for racing than Royal Ascot - it has something for everyone and shows the game's magical possibilities
When an event like Royal Ascot arrives, you must shout it from the rooftopsIt gives racegoers a high-quality product and a fantastic all-round experienceOther festivals can learn from the joys and top-class nature of Royal Ascot
How good was Royal Ascot? Seriously. A week on from five fantastic days, I’m thinking back to the stories, the action and everything in between and I am on a high. There couldn’t have been a better advertisement for racing.
But, strangely, I’m also confused. This week began with the BBC coming under fire for not doing enough to promote racing: Radio 4 did away with 47 years of tradition on the Today programme by dropping their daily tips section.
The week ended with me studying coverage in which ITV were criticised for doing too much for racing. I even read that our Royal Ascot wardrobe – a top hat and morning suit is compulsory in the Royal enclosure – made us look untouchable and difficult to relate to.
Really? Which one is it? One thing I do know is that racing needs positive coverage right now. The sport is in a muddle and the impact so far of Premier Racing – which was launched six months ago, in the main, to highlight the best cards of a weekend – has been negligible.
So when an event like Royal Ascot comes along, you simply must shout about it from the rooftops.
Royal Ascot is the best advert for racing - everyone can be a part of it and it brings to life fantastic stories
It produces a top-class product with relentless, high-quality racing for fans to enjoy
King Charles and Queen Camilla watched from the Royal Box on day five at Ascot Racecourse
Day four – which saw narratives of fathers making waves with their children, an 84-year-old bursting live into song in the winner’s enclosure and brilliant racing – was the most enjoyable sporting broadcast I’ve done since Sergio Aguero won the Premier League for Manchester City in 2012.
Honestly, it was that good. It was a joyous escape from the General Election, racing’s ills and Gareth Southgate’s mis-functioning midfield. It bucked the trend with crowds up on last year and our viewing figures were healthy. How do Ascot do it?
Others, bar Goodwood and York, should tap in to Ascot’s former and current commercial directors Juliet Slot and Felicity Barnard to uncover their secret. Yes they have a sizeable budget but they still have to walk a tightrope balancing Royal Ascot’s history and tradition, with modernisation and keeping the meeting relevant.
They must be succeeding as both my teenage children and their grandparents want to go next year.
I feel the secret is having something for everyone, every budget and taste. Elitism? Not a bit of it. EVERYONE can be part of this. From Michelin starred chefs to picnics on the Heath; afternoon tea to dancing to Mr Brightside with Luke Harvey in the Windsor enclosure disco tent.
Jimmy Choo stilettos to flip flops. It’s all part a modern day Royal Ascot. Add in the Village Enclosure – Ascot’s ‘Glastonbury’ – and its focus on sustainability plus a net zero carbon emissions area, and they are bang on trend.
Most important, something other Festivals should note, is the product: it’s top class. Brilliant horses and relentless quality racing from start to finish. There was only one odds-on shot (a losing one, at that) in 35 races and no moaning about things being predictable and uncompetitive.
We try to showcase all its joys on ITV. We are, first and foremost, an entertainment channel and want to keep the audience engaged with as many different features as possible. Racing, with its terminology and facts and figures and phrases, can be hard for some people to get past.
On ITV, we try to showcase all of the joys of Ascot, which other festivals can take notes from
Royal Ascot is our best window to the outside world and I make no apology for my enthusiasm
I read an interview with Sean Levey, Rosallion’s jockey, in the Mail On Sunday two weeks ago when he referenced that subject and how important it is to hook new people into what is a sport like no other; he is absolutely right.
Royal Ascot was the showcase for everything good about the game, an insight into all the magical possibilities. It is our best window to the outside world, the envy of so many Festivals. It’s in all our interests to promote that – and I make no apology for being enthusiastic about it.