Racing TV pundits and presenters prove popular in online poll

Racing TV’s presenters and pundits have proved hugely popular in a social media poll launched by myracing ahead of the Welcome To Yorkshire Ebor Festival at York, which gets underway on Wednesday, August 18.

Over 2,000 people took part in the poll, and 10,000 tweets were analysed before the final results were revealed, and Luck On Sunday host and Racing TV presenter Nick Luck came out on top, based on positive tweet volume and mean sentiment scores.

The eight-time Broadcaster of the Year finished just ahead of Lydia Hislop, who is also a leading Racing TV presenter and host of the popular Road To Cheltenham show.

Hislop was crowned broadcaster of the year in 2019 and finished ahead of fellow Racing TV presenters Tom Stanley and Rishi Persad in the poll, in third and fourth respectively.

Martin Dixon fared the best in the pundits’ study, and by a wide margin. The former Timeform employee is now a leading pundit on Racing TV and also runs successful syndicate The Horse Watchers with his brother, Chris, who is also a regular on Racing TV and was ranked fourth in the study.

Ruby Walsh, who announced his retirement from the saddle in 2019, finished second in the pundits’ poll. Kevin Blake was in fine tipping form at Cheltenham and Royal Ascot but could only claim the bronze medal on this occasion. Racing TV veteran Steve Mellish also finished in the top six.

Simon Holt and Richard Hoiles battled it out in the commentators list, but Holt edged clear in the final furlong to cement his place in the winners’ enclosure. The pair have provided many memorable commentaries over the years, as has John Hunt who stayed on into third.

There are also honourable mentions for the likes of Matt Chapman, who finished fifth in the pundits' tally, and Francesca Cumani, who also snuck into the top five ahead of Racing TV’s Irish racing presenter Gary O’Brien.

According to the stats, the dream combination for an afternoon in front of the TV would be Nick Luck and Lydia Hislop as presenters, Martin Dixon, Ruby Walsh and Kevin Blake as pundits, and Simon Holt in the commentary box!

What are your thoughts on the results? Share your views by tweeting us (@RacingTV), and if you are not already a member of Racing TV, click here to join and enjoy the best action in Britain and Ireland in the company of our popular presenters and pundits.