THE blue riband event of the week doesn’t deserve the underfoot conditions but the importance of proceedings will not be a mystery to the ITV viewers. The build-up to the race is huge and away from the television screens and on the other screens that dominate daily life, ITV has been pretty relentless on social media. For the viewer the content (Gold) Cup runneth over.

Bookmakers have really upped their content game for the biggest week of the year with both Ladbrokes and Paddy Power hosting live shows after racing on their social media channels. Watching this will not make the viewer any wiser but both are bang-on brand with plenty of “bantah”. Regardless of the potential adverse affects on the viewers’ intelligence, it is a significant media play by both organisations.

SOCIAL MEDIA

ITV is not left wanting in the social media stakes. The presenting team have been sent on Instagram takeovers each day and have all endeavoured to capture behind the scenes access. Sally Ann Grassick has outperformed the rest of the team on this platform, gaining excellent on course and stable access, apparently knowing many of the grooms personally.

When the television coverage gets going properly, Brian Gleeson and Matt Chapman are inexplicably close for a jaunt down Gold Cup memory lane. As is so often the case when Chapman is on screen, it shouldn’t work but it does.

As the team build up to the Gold Cup, the Irish training gods relent for a couple of hours and Bridget Andrews lands her first festival winner. The scenes are emotional and it’s a well treated family story.

The theme of family is revisited over the next two races, both winners trained by Colin Tizzard. Kilbricken Storm’s win may only live long in the memory of Harry Cobden and his nearest and dearest, but the incredible performance by Native River will live long in the memory of more than just the Tizzards.

As the tension built to the Gold Cup it was Luke Harvey who cut it. Down at the start he manages to get a smile out of Nico de Boinville.

The post-race celebrations are captured nicely although the Tizzard cheerleader in chief, Alice Plunkett seems so swept away in the occasion she’s unable to properly articulate any form of question to the winning trainer, just repeating “what a legend” at him when it’s somewhat unclear whether she means Colin or the horse!

The week’s coverage on ITV finishes with an overdue winner for Paul Nicholls, and some English pride is restored as they get some consolation winners in garbage time to put a bit of respectability on the Betbright Cup scoreboard.

As we switch to the excellent Racing UK, Gordon Elliot slams them with Blow by Blow to land the Martin Pipe and normal service is resumed.