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Sectional times and strong pools to help Royal Ascot grow on worldwide stage

Viewers watching NBC in the US were able to take in the royal procession
Viewers watching NBC in the US were able to take in the royal processionCredit: Getty Images

Ascot hopes the introduction of sectional timings and the co-mingling of pari-mutuel pools with Hong Kong from next year will ensure the royal meeting continues to blossom as Britain’s marquee Flat festival.

Nick Smith, Ascot’s director of racing and communications, also hailed what he called a “groundbreaking” broadcast of the final day of Royal Ascot on the main NBC channel in the US, alongside strong international television coverage of the rest of the week.

Sectional timings, a common feature for international punters and spectators, were available on a test basis for the first time at Royal Ascot, and a fuller rollout is planned for the coming months to help bring Ascot in line with its worldwide audience.

Smith said: “Sectional timing is a given in every other part of the world and it’s not really acceptable for British racing to lag behind, especially as we’re all trying to sell our media rights and, effectively, our betting rights overseas. There’s a borderline obligation to try to provide that sort of information to punters at home and, especially, overseas.

“We launched the timing system as a trial and we’re now looking at the right pace to bring in these new innovations and ideas over the coming months and years. The time has come for Britain to ensure that kind of data and information is available.”

A robust pool-betting operation to run alongside the new timing system and increased coverage is an ambition for Royal Ascot in 2019, when it will join forces with Hong Kong and Totepool to offer an 'Ascot World Pool' that is expected to see UK liquidity increase from the current approximate £20 million to in the region of £75m.

Nick Smith: hoping a deal can be struck to secure Group 1 status for the Long Distance Cup
Nick Smith: bringing Ascot into harmony with its worldwide audienceCredit: Alan Crowhurst
Smith said: “This is going to make the pool a different animal. It will deliver the liquidity that makes pool betting credible in this country, so we’ll have a pool that works and is robust.

“Crucially, this year we had four days on television in Hong Kong and next year we’ll have five. The deal with NBC was also one of the most significant broadcasting moments British racing has seen.

"That might sound like hyperbole but Royal Ascot was shown on NBC’s main channel, which is the equivalent of the Breeders’ Cup or Kentucky Derby being shown on ITV’s main channel – that's a significant breakthrough in terms of exposure. The whole week was on the NBC sports channel, but taking it on the main channel was groundbreaking.”


Daily attendances at Royal Ascot

Day20182017201620152014
Saturday74,417 71,57271,08871,27669,783
Friday69,08769,55669,80968,47164,123
Thursday70,04668,32064,50365,21565,419
Wednesday41,49540,10841,97841,09140,459
Tuesday46,77344,23547,62947,25046,047
Totals301,818293,791295,007293,303285,831
Scroll >>> table to view

Ascot’s decision to publicise a zero-tolerance approach following high-profile incidents of crowd misbehaviour at British tracks helped to ensure a largely incident-free week, despite reports of cocaine and ecstasy being taken by some racegoers.

Smith said: “With 300,000 people attending you’re going to get people coming through the gates with illegal drugs and you’re not going to be able to find it all; it’s unrealistic to expect that to happen at any sports or leisure venue. It didn’t impact on people's enjoyment and we were able to take action quickly where it was required.”

Action may also be taken to adjust the race programme, with the Windsor Castle Stakes' new slot as race three on the final day raising some eyebrows.

Windsor Castle Stakes: failed to spark interest in new position
Windsor Castle Stakes: failed to spark interest in new positionCredit: Bryn Lennon
Smith said: “There’s an argument a few tweaks may be needed. We wanted to move the Queen’s Vase to a quieter day, when the Village enclosure [on inside of the course] wasn’t operating so it was quieter for the three-year-olds starting in front of the stands.

“Because we moved that, we had to make a couple of other changes, including moving the Windsor Castle. We’ll look at the programme, but we want to make changes only for a reason, not without any purpose.”


Average viewing figures for Royal Ascot

Day2018 (ITV)2017 (ITV)2016 (C4)2015 (C4)2014 (C4)
Tue741,000719,000588,000566,000594,000
Wed727,000830,000538,000569,000513,000
Thu366,000*968,000433,000582,000670,000
Fri803,000927,000475,000533,000535,000
Sat613,000892,000674,000636,000605,000
Totals3,250,0004,319,0002,708,0002,886,0002,917,000
*ITV4
Scroll >>> table to view

Reflecting on the week as a whole, which also brought healthy ITV viewing figures despite the rival attraction of the World Cup, Smith said: “I thought we had a very good week. The action on the track stood up well and there was a strong international presence.

“The track rode so fairly over the whole week, and that’s something we’re most pleased with. Horses were winning from anywhere on the straight track and there didn’t seem to be a draw bias.

"It was maintained at good to firm all week with minimal watering so we had good, quick ground, and a lot of good feedback from trainers and jockeys – clerk of the course Chris Stickels and the team deserve the credit for that as ultimately it all starts from the track.”


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Peter ScargillDeputy industry editor

Published on 24 June 2018inNews

Last updated 08:32, 25 June 2018

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