ITV Racing to show six races every day at Royal Ascot 2020
ITV Racing will bring all the excitement of five days of top class racing to everyonewatching Royal Ascot at home in 2020.
The programme will be produced and broadcast in line with social distancing guidelines with some members of the team joining virtually.
The pandemic rules out the presence of HM The Queen and racegoers attending the course this year, but ITV Racing will bring viewers all the action exclusively free to air daily from 1.30-5pm Tuesday 16 – Saturday 20 June on ITV.
“Royal Ascot will be different this year but could be extra special. The race schedule looks spectacular and we’ll try and involve owners and people watching at home in the unique thrill and excitement only this meeting can produce.” Ed Chamberlin
“No crowds, no royal procession, no singing around the bandstand… Royal Ascot 2020 will be a very different experience. It will be a year where, more than ever before, we will saviour the top quality action on the track and where we at ITV Racing, will be hoping also to have more interaction with you at home than ever before!” Francesca Cumani
Ed Chamberlin and Francesca Cumani will host the coverage and will be joined by expert Jason Weaver with input from Mick Fitzgerald, Luke Harvey and Matt Chapman.
Oli Bell will also be at the helm of the popular social stable encouraging viewers at home to join in with the action and remotely interviewing some of the famous faces who would usually be there.
Richard Hoiles will be in the commentary box from Tuesday until Friday with Mark Johnson taking over on Saturday.
The Opening Show will be presented virtually by Oli Bell on all five days and he will be joined remotely by Matt Chapman and Kevin Blake with Richard Hoiles at the track.
Although Royal Ascot will look rather different in 2020, the Bafta-winning team will show six races each day and encourage as many participants in the sport as possible to join them via remote technology.
ITV Racing’s Social Stable, a social media hub, will be linked to all the channels - Twitter, Facebook and Instagram profiles ensuring viewers can get involved in the action.
Every day there will also be a free-to-enter ITV7 competition. ITV’s live festival coverage will also be simulcast on the ITV Hub, on web and app, for viewers to watch online, and the ITV Racing site - itv.com/racing.
Daily Highlights (of a slightly revised Ascot schedule) – ITV will show six races every day!
Tuesday 16 June – The meeting kicks off with the Buckingham Palace Handicap and includes two Group One’s, the Queen Anne, usually one of the best races of the week and Kings Stand Stakes, an exciting sprint up the straight.
Wednesday 17 June – The Group One Prince of Wales’s Stakes is the highlight of Day Two plus the Royal Hunt Cup is perhaps one of the spectacles of the week as the field thunder up the mile and provide a race that punters always relish.
Thursday 18 June – The Day Three highlight remains the Group One Gold Cup, the meeting’s oldest race and its longest over two and a half miles.
Friday 19 June - Day Four’s highlight will be the Group One Commonwealth Cup, a spectacular sprint for three-year-olds.
Saturday 20 June – A trio of Group Ones headline the last day with the Coronation Stakes, St James's Palace Stakes and Diamond Jubilee Stakes.