Opinions "were divided after ITV’s racing debut" on Sunday, according to Mark Souster of the LONDON TIMES. Understandably there "were nerves and a sense of everyone trying just a little too hard to impress on the first day, but overall you could see what the broadcaster was trying to do and that is to entertain and broaden the sport’s appeal while trying not to alienate the traditional audience." Some things worked, "others need to be worked on and at times it was a bit chaotic." Presenters Ed Chamberlin, Anthony McCoy and Luke Harvey were "not helped by dreadful weather and the decision not to provide cover." One can understand the "desire to move away from a fixed studio to impart a sense of the vitality of the ring, but when conditions were so bad surely there should have been a contingency plan." After a while, "their discomfort as they clung to their umbrellas, freezing cold, became readily apparent and that translated to the viewer." If anything, "there seemed to be too many talking heads, each vying for air time and the opportunity to establish their roles." Richard Hoiles, the commentator, "was fine, but the interjection of the pundits mid-race jarred rather than added anything" (LONDON TIMES, 1/2).
