ITV team determined to make the most of new opportunities

Now that all the official announcements have formally been made concerning my appointment as commentator for ITV Racing I can thank the many people who have sent goodwill messages over the last couple of weeks. It is a terrific opportunity and one I will be doing my utmost to fulfil to the best of my ability.

In such circumstances it is important to be respectful of the fact that good news for one can equate to bad news for others. There are many people both in front of and behind the camera of current and previous teams who have not fared so well in this process yet without whose help, support and friendship I would not have been able to land this fantastic job. The fact that many of the congratulatory messages came from those very people makes those among the most treasured of all.

In choosing ITV over Channel 4 in the new TV rights dealm, racing signalled the fact it was looking for a new approach. Change can be difficult, especially for loyal viewers of the old programmes as purist and populist often make uncomfortable bedfellows and that is just one of the challenges that the whole ITV team will face.