UK’s ITV lands on South Shore for new horse racing docuseries

Melanie Leach

ITV1 and streamer ITVX are looking to replicate Netflix’s Drive To Survive success with an order for a new docuseries exploring horse racing.

The as-yet untitled six-parter will focus on the forthcoming 2023-24 Jumps season and is being prodyced by South Shore, with parners including betting firm Flutter and Racecourse Media Group also attached.

The show, which startes filming in December, will tell the stories of both humans and horses, exploring behind-the-scenes to “showcase the very best horse racing has to offer to a wider and broader audience.”

The Professional Jockeys’ Association and British Horseracing Authority (BHA) are also supporting the project, which will dovetail with the broadcaster’s existing coverage of the sport.

Melanie Leach, joint CEO of South Shore, said the show would “tell the story of the fight between the heroes and heroines of this incredible sport as they race their way to the winning line.”

BHA chief executive, Julie Harrington, said: “This is an extremely exciting development for the sport. The industry’s strategy is all about reaching new audiences and showing them the brilliance of our sport, while at the same time making racing more interesting and engaging for our current fans. There promises to be a little bit of something for everyone in this new programme.”

Simon Daglish, deputy MD of commercial at ITV, added that the show would offer “a fantastic chance to build on excitement [from live coverage] and bring this adrenaline filled sport to a new audience.”

ITN Productions-backed South Shore has previously been behind Freddie Flintoff’s Field Of Dreams for BBC One, The Man Who Bought Cricket for Sky and Channel 4’s Football Dreams: The Academy.