Clare Balding Becomes New Face Of Channel 4's Horse Racing Coverage

BBC Olympics host Clare Balding "will be the face of Channel 4 horse racing after the broadcaster announced details of its coverage of the Grand National, Derby and Cheltenham Festival" for '13, according to John Plunkett of the London GUARDIAN. IMG Sports Media "has won the contract to produce Channel 4's coverage," which will begin in January. The deal with Channel 4 is non-exclusive so Balding, who "has been linked with a presenting role for a new sporting chat show on the BBC," will be able to work for the corporation. IMG Sports Media, part of IMG Worldwide, "will produce around 90 days a year of live terrestrial horse racing coverage." Channel 4's racing coverage will be headed up behind the scenes by BBC Sport Senior Program Editor Carl Hicks, "a key figure in the corporation's Olympics coverage," who will join IMG Sports Media as an exec producer (GUARDIAN, 8/13).