“ITV’s coverage was emotional, expert and immensely professional”
ITV Sport for ITV
ITV Sport captured every angle of one of the greatest sporting moments in history – when Rachael Blackmore became the first female jockey to win the world’s most famous horse race.
The 1981 Grand National-winning jockey Bob Champion delivered an emotional build-up to the race, and the coverage tempted fate with a package dedicated to the development of female jockeys – it was to prove well timed.
The race was a complex, multi-camera production, with 64 cameras spread over 250 acres, including hi-motion radio cameras, fence cameras, helicopter cameras and drones.
The presentation team was expertly led by Ed Chamberlin and Francesca Cumani, joined by former National winners AP McCoy and Mick Fitzgerald. Former jockey Ruby Walsh offered insightful analysis of the leading contenders (both equine and human), while Alice Plunkett was in the paddock taking a close-up look at all the runners.
The results were spectacular, with just under 9 million people watching the race live on TV. Our judges praised ITV’s coverage for its “empathy for the audience and those involved in the sport”, as well as being “emotional, expert and immensely professional”.
As Blackmore won the race, the commentator declared she had “raised the bar still higher” – the same could be said of the coverage.
SHORTLISTED
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