RaceTech readies for extensive coverage at Royal Ascot 2023

Royal Ascot, the pinnacle of the flat racing season in Britain, is just around the corner. Staging 35 premiere races, it is a major social and fashion event attracting 300,000 visitors over the five days, with world class competition in equine and human form all covered by a large throng of domestic and international media outlets.

As proud partners of Ascot Racecourse, RaceTech is looking forward to providing a multitude of technical and outside broadcast skill and facilities with primary focus on the racing but also capturing the atmosphere, colour and drama which makes Royal Ascot, which takes place from 20 to 24 June, such a unique event.

With two top spec outside broadcast units onsite including the flagship OB10 plus another edit and VT suite, 55 of RaceTech’s OB and technical crew will operate across the site directly serving Sky Sports Racing and nine individual broadcast customers to nine outgoing HD circuits.

RaceTech has introduced some new innovative solutions as James Gray, commercial director at RaceTech, explains: “This year at Royal Ascot we will be adding remotely controlled pan, tilt and zoom (PTZ) cameras to the array of OB technical facilities. These PTZ cameras have the advantage of being rigged and operated in spaces where there isn’t room to have a manually operated camera. There is the added advantage that a single operator will be able to control two cameras located on different sides of the grandstand. This allows innovation to be an enabler by creating coverage previously difficult to capture, while also being very economical.

“Another innovation for this year includes placing a camera just past the winning line on the stand side rail. This allows pull-up winner shots if the winner finishes on the stand side, and it should also provide great coverage of horses entering and exiting the racetrack. We will also have IP rated (fully waterproof) PTZ cameras on bespoke mounting poles to capture horses passing through the wash down area which should make good viewing of the horses being cooled off.”

Close up coverage will be given to the horses and from the pre-parade to winner’s enclosure and presentations. Extensive coverage throughout each day will also bring viewers the colour and thrills from the Royal parade of carriages, the fashion, and culinary delights, to the sing song around the bandstand.

Another first for RaceTech this year is the production of Ascot world feed previews. These will be a selection of daily videos shot around the course where a panel will discuss the runners of each race and make selections. The videos are specifically related to the world pool markets and will be distributed internationally to various takers.

There will be a three to five minute piece relating to each world pool race (every RA race) and a daily combined video (all seven race clips put together). RaceTech is fully producing these previews supplying a production crew, on-site technical and off-site editing, and distribution. The previews will be shot as soon as the declarations come out 48 hours before and turned around as swiftly as possible so they can be enjoyed by viewers across the world.

Ranging RaceTech camera crews and extensive outside broadcast facilities will provide live enhanced coverage of each day to a multitude of international and domestic media outlets – Sky Sports Racing, Ascot Racecourse TV, including its highlights show – all produced by RaceTech. Ascot Racecourse social media production, Ascot’s World feed via Hong Kong Jockey Club, various individual bookmaker channels plus radio stations including BBC Radio Berkshire and TalkSport Radio, with full availability and support to ITV Racing.

RaceTech services include the photo finish operators and equipment including the ‘reverse angle’ camera system with the ‘official photo’ determining the winner of each race, often by a very tight margin. As always, the RaceTech starting stalls team of highly skilled horse handlers will manage the horse loading process at the start of each race.

John Bozza, RaceTech CEO, comments: “We are proud to be partners of Ascot Racecourse and enjoy working with them throughout the year. Royal Ascot is an absolute highlight with event planning spanning several months. We like to work with the racecourse to bring new and innovative technical solutions to the fore and ensure the very highest service deliver across all aspects of the Royal Meeting.”