“THIS is a British sporting institution,” Ed Chamberlin introduces the 2019 Cheltenham Festival on ITV.

The main team behind the microphones are Chamberlin, Mick Fitzgerald, Brough Scott, AP. McCoy (it rhymes with black eye!), and Francesca Cumani are up front.

Francesca is a good presenter but struggles a bit on NH days, and is wrapped up well in blue fur against the Cotwolds cold.

Alice Plunkett, Oli Bell and Luke Harvey are out on track. There’s a quick update after the first as Harvey shows us after the first how deep the hooves of the runners went into the turf.

It’s a pity we didn’t see Alice’s interview with winning owner Joanne Coleman, an emotional moment is broadcast in sound only as Klassical Dream returns.

Matt Chapman loud and proud in the Social Stable throughout the day, which really amounts to tell us where you are watching.

And why would anyone care if someone is watching in Lanzarote? Or what Brett Doyle with his feet up in Dubai, is wearing?

It’s junk TV. Julian Wilson or Lord Oaksey would be turning in their graves. Fiona Craig gets her contribution shown, credited as “big cheese in Moyglare watching from the boardroom!”

Through the afternoon, multi-coloured suits, Richard Hammond, Danny Moore, an Australian jockey, and Oisin Murphy join the Chapman-driven loud crowd, with louder cheers from the Top of the Town pub in Limerick.

With such high-class racing it’s not really the place for too much of such paraphernalia – who really wants this on big days like these?

There is hope that Chapman’s voice might go – Theresa’s may, Chapman’s may never!

Cue Card, Lord Windermere and Master Minded are among the Retrained Racehorse who get a few seconds of airtime. The girls go playing in a Bentley, again it’s an unwanted interruption.

The false starts have been annoying and cameras catch the horses standing still before the Ultima. “They have been messy so far,” Chamberlin makes and understatement.

Afterwards Francesa gets her Gerrys mixed up “Let’s hear more from Jerry Maguire” who got his second Festival win on Beware The Bear.

Chamberlin has his own difficulties with Duc Des Genieveres. Is it Duke, Duc or Ghuke?

Then, what was billed as an “epic Champion Hurdle” doesn’t materialise. Chamberlin had warned us earlier for Buveur D’Air, there’s “no margin of error today with his jumping.” “One mistake today will be very costly,” Fitzgerald also sounded warnings.

In the ring Brian Gleeson finds a £80,000 bet for the dual champion. A nervous Georgie Benson is caught before the race, keeping an eye on her, “she hasn’t come in season,” she tells Alice.

In the race Apple’s never looks happy. Richard Holies captures the drama well. “Buveur D’Air had gone!”, Buveur D’Air has fallen, the hurdling crown has slipped from his grasp.”

It’s a fantastic win for the Gavin Cromwell yard with Espoir D’Allen, though that purple bookmakers-sponsored woolly hat grated a bit in the winner’s enclosure interview. That’s where we are folks, sponsored by is the byword.

Alice Plunkett got the Rich Ricci interview after Benie De Dieux’s fall, posing the Bet Bright question.

“I don’t want the trolls to attack Ruby. He is the best jockey in the world and it happens.” He is unrepentant on the BetBright void bets decision.

Mark Walsh got a hands-on embrace from Liz Hurley and is later signing his name on his weigh-room peg after his Champion Hurdle win.

AP remembers he couldn’t spell Synchronised when he went to write his after he won the Gold Cup. Walsh’s name is there among the famous. That’s one thing that won’t change with the fashions of the time.