ITV to 'throw kitchen sink' at Ascot coverage in bid to boost viewing figures

Ed Chamberlin said ITV Racing was prepared to "throw the kitchen sink" at its coverage of Qicpo British Champions Day at Ascot on Saturday in an effort to improve viewer numbers for the meeting that last year fell heavily from pre-pandemic levels.

Baaeed has the 11th and final run of his career in the Qipco Champion Stakes and the presenter is hoping the presence of the most exciting horse to grace Champions Day since the mighty Frankel ten years ago will spread the same kind of magic.

An average audience of 476,000 watched the British Flat finale last year, fractionally fewer than tuned in for Newmarket's Future Champions Day the week before and well below an average of 703,000 two years earlier. The audience share in 2021 was 6.9 per cent, compared to 7.7 in 2019.