ITV appoints Chapman to bring betting coverage to life

Matt Chapman, the At The Races presenter, secured the promotion to mainstream television he has long craved when he was yesterday unveiled as ITV's face of the betting ring.

Chapman, a former Racing Post reporter and HWPA Broadcaster of the Year, has been hired as the network's betting reporter with a brief to deliver a brand of "colourful insight and guidance" not seen on screens since John McCririck was Channel 4's betting pundit.

He was paraded at a special event in London on Friday where ITV offered a glimpse of the scale and style of its coverage when its exclusive deal to show horseracing begins on January 1.