Retired Irish National Hunt jockey Bryan Cooper has expressed his support for ITV1 and ITV's new docu-series about the forthcoming 2023-24 horse racing season.
The upcoming six-part docuseries focuses on the forthcoming 2023-24 Jumps season and will begin in December. The series aims to tell the stories of lives, journeys, and adventures, both human and equine that make horse racing dramatic and compelling. It will also focus on the important levels of welfare applied to racehorses and jockeys, highlighting the best of horse racing and bringing it to a wider audience like never before.
The series will be released next Wednesday.
Cooper believes that the new series could have the same impact as F1's Drive to Survive did in the past. Speaking to Boylesports, who offer the latest Cheltenham betting markets, he said, "I’m all for it, definitely. I think it is a no-brainer, especially now with the times that we are in. We are trying to get new people into the sport. I know myself, I never used to watch F1 until I saw Drive to Survive on Netflix; that’s what got me hooked on it. So, this can only be a positive for horse racing.
"It’s going to be at the right time of the year as well, where there is going to be some proper jumps racing. From what I read between the lines, it is going to focus a lot on the high end of the sport, and I can see it being a very positive thing, as long as it is done right."
However Cooper believes that for a younger viewership, it has be on Netflix or Amazon Prime. The 31-year-old also added that something like this is badly needed to grow and save the sport. It can only be seen as a good thing, confirmed Cooper. "For me, it is the sign of a change that racing desperately needs and is going in the right direction. Racing needed something, a change. We need to get younger people into the sport because it is a great sport; anyone is welcome into the game. We can perhaps change the minds of those in the crowd who might have a different opinion; we can change them,"added Cooper.
"I think it would have been better on a streaming service, and I think with the younger generation especially, I imagine they spend a lot more time on Netflix and Amazon than they do watching ITV. They probably don’t even know what channel to type into the remote to get it.
"But look, it’s a start, everything can go forward from here. But if it were on one of the streaming services, then I think it would be easier for the younger generation to watch. But I am sure, as I said, it is a step in the right direction, and I am all for it."
