ONE slight negative for me from the weekend racing coverage on TV was the increased use of drone camera angles during the live broadcast of a race.

We can say it is a work in progress with new technology but what is new is not always for the better.

RacingTV and ITV used it at Sandown and Musselburgh. At Sandown, it is being used more often over the railway fences but for the life of me, I can’t see what was wrong with the head-on angle we all grew up with. On Saturday a key incident when Hitman fell and brought down Dame De Compagnie was missed.

There are a few times when drone angles work. But they must be low enough to see all the runners easily and often better at an angle than directly above.

It was brilliant in different surroundings in the Breeders’ Cup in Keeneland. RacingTV used a good angle and height up the straight at Perth on occasions.

We had drone angles at Gowran Park for the Thyestes meeting but it was used going down the back and worked okay there to show how the field was spread out and different routes taken by jockeys but again, this was of more use in reviews than live.

It undoubtedly can give a different view – just as having a jockey cam will too but not in the actual live coverage.

There is not much wrong with traditional angles that we are all familiar with. The side tracker view coming into the straight at Leopardstown often used on Champions Day looks well but can eliminate the view of a late challenger coming into contention, surely an exciting element to a race. It also missed a key incident when Deirdre met interference in the Irish Champions Stakes in 2019.

ITV Racing are also culprits here of a far too long side angle off the final bend at Cheltenham, missing anything coming through on the inside.

It’s difficult to identify a horse immediately from above and if there are seven JP McManus runners in a big field, you are often looking for the horse’s facial markings as much as the caps.

You also can’t see movements in the rider’s hands to show that key moment when you know you could be in trouble.

Heading to the third last in a big runner competitive handicap is not the place to switch to a drone shot.

I’d like to hear a commentator cover a race and using the switches in angles of the TV cameras and adjust seamlessly to the changes mid race to prove it’s a good thing in the live coverage of a race.