Richard Hoiles: 'I just try to convey what I'm feeling as a fan - but you're only one word away from cocking the whole thing up'
ITV's lead commentator tells Catherine Macrae about his journey into television and desire to improve the sport
There is no room for nerves at the start of a race.
As the horses group together, circling under the watchful eye of the starter, the sharp anticipation of a Grade 1 contest ripples through the crowd at Sandown. Yet high above, peering over the ledge, Richard Hoiles is calm.
Nervous people talk too quickly and Hoiles has crafted his oration to a fine art. It helps, of course, that he has been here before. There are only a few major races across the globe that ITV's lead commentator has not witnessed, and Saturday's Tingle Creek card is no exception. He glances back at his set-up and adjusts the audio levels on his headset as the final seconds tick down, before launching into his shift with expert ease.
Read the full story
Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing, with exclusive news, interviews, columns, investigations, stable tours and subscriber-only emails.
Subscribe to unlock
- Racing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)
- Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing
- Expert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul Kealy
- Replays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecourses
- Form study tools including the Pro Card and Horse Tracker
- Extensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales data
Already a subscriber?Log in
- 'It was the best race I ever rode and I was very proud of it - but Sheikh Hamdan thought it was terrible!'
- Aidan O'Brien: 'The weirdest, strangest, most impossible things can happen in racing and in life'
- James Fanshawe: 'It's easy to go in your shell and grumble that things aren't fair - but you have to remember how well you've done'
- Ralph Beckett: 'That day changed our lives - everything that's happened since has gone back to that'
- 'I never dial myself down, so when I ride I still put on my mascara' - Patrick Mullins meets Aine O'Connor
- 'It was the best race I ever rode and I was very proud of it - but Sheikh Hamdan thought it was terrible!'
- Aidan O'Brien: 'The weirdest, strangest, most impossible things can happen in racing and in life'
- James Fanshawe: 'It's easy to go in your shell and grumble that things aren't fair - but you have to remember how well you've done'
- Ralph Beckett: 'That day changed our lives - everything that's happened since has gone back to that'
- 'I never dial myself down, so when I ride I still put on my mascara' - Patrick Mullins meets Aine O'Connor