23 October 2023 , 12:10
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Horse racing is to get its own primetime docuseries on ITV which could put the sport in the fast lane to winning new fans.
The show, which has been given the working title ‘Champions”, will be produced in a similar format to Netflix ’s hugely successful ‘Formula 1: Drive To Survive’.
Filming is set to begin at Kempton on Boxing Day and will follow the action on and off the track during the jumps season through to the Cheltenham Festival and Grand National Festival at Aintree.
The sport’s terrestrial broadcast partner ITV has agreed to show the six-part series late next summer in the 9pm slot.
Drive To Survive, a collaboration between Formula 1 and Netflix, takes the viewer behind the scenes of the sport and has run for five seasons and has been credited with winning new audiences, particularly in the US.
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If 'Champions' proves as popular as Drive To Survive, racing’s leaders hope it can deliver new fans to the sport.
BHA chief executive Julie Harrington said: "This is an extremely exciting development for the sport.
“The industry's strategy is all about reaching new audiences and showing them the brilliance of our sport while at the same time making racing more interesting and engaging for our current fans. There promises to be a little bit of something for everyone in this new programme.
"We're proud of our sport and all it stands for. Anything that brings the passion and excitement of racing and the characters who work in it into people's homes can only be a good thing."
The series is being produced by South Shore, who made the Bafta-nominated Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams, with commercial backing from Flutter, owners of Betfair, Paddy Power and Sky Bet, and Racecourse Media Group.