Ed Chamberlin bemoans racing's 'missed opportunity' after farcical day at Ascot

ITV Racing's lead presenter Ed Chamberlin lamented the "missed opportunity" for racing on Saturday to promote itself on a day that had promised the reappearance of several of the sport's biggest names but instead delivered farce, recriminations and soul-searching.

While A Plus Tard still offered considerable star quality when lining up in the Betfair Chase at Haydock, a race in which he was pulled up in behind impressive winner Protektorat, the withdrawals of Constitution Hill, Edwardstone and L'Homme Presse at Ascot because of quickening ground conditions, alongside the generally small and uncompetitive fields, delivered a "deflating" afternoon, the presenter said.

With no Premier League or Championship football, and with the month-long Fifa World Cup in Qatar not starting until the following day, Chamberlin had been anticipating a stellar afternoon of action to promote on ITV's main channel, but was left frustrated events had conspired against racing being able to make the most of the exposure.