Great news for racing fans as ITV increases midweek coverage

Stand by your sofa – Thursday is the first of five extra afternoons of weekday racing to be covered by ITV before the end of the year.

Extra days have been added to the winter schedule, providing opportunities to see meetings in Britain and Ireland not usually featured on a free-to-air, non-specialist channel.

Starting with unprecedented coverage from Taunton and Clonmel on Thursday afternoon, ITV4 will show action from the first day of the Tingle Creek meeting at Sandown on December 4 and from a card featuring a Class 2 novice chase at Exeter.

No fewer than four meetings will be shown on ITV4 on Sunday, December 6, when the Fitzdares Club Peterborough Chase at Huntingdon and Persimmon Homes Scottish Borders National at Kelso are complemented by the John Durkan Memorial Chase at Punchestown and the Kerry Group Hilly Way Chase at Cork.

Bigirononhiship won the Borders National last yearCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

The first day of Ascot's pre-Christmas meeting on Friday, December 18, has also been added to the ITV4 schedule, along with the Savills Chase card at Leopardstown on Monday, December 28, with coverage from Exeter and Leicester thrown in.

Newbury's Challow Hurdle has featured in weekend ITV coverage before, but it will be covered despite its return to a midweek date this year on Tuesday, December 29, with further action coming from the last day of Leopardstown's four-day Christmas meeting.

Racing this Saturday and Sunday will be on ITV's main channel, as will next weekend's Betfair Chase/Coral Ascot Hurdle double-header, Ladbrokes Trophy Chase and Betfair Fighting Fifth Hurdle day and action from Kempton and Wetherby on Boxing Day.

Extra ITV coverage

Thursday, November 12: Clonmel and Taunton; ITV4

Friday, December 4: Sandown and Exeter; ITV4

Sunday, December 6: Huntingdon, Punchestown, Kelso and Cork; ITV4

Friday, Decemeber 18: Ascot; ITV4

Monday, December 28: Leopardstown, Exeter and Leicester; ITV4

Tuesday, December 29: Newbury and Leopardstown; ITV4

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