Don't know if anyone has noticed, but since bookies started to sponsor the racing coverage:
a) We rarely see the rest of the field finishing behind the winner. The only time we see a strong finisher is when it is within the viewfinder or when a commentator decides to make a point about it and the film is replayed.
b) We never see the paddock coverage in "real time", which is usually taken up with some sort of triviality such as the recent building works, or who Thommo has spotted in the crowd/paddock. Okay, this is (sometimes) interesting, but could be shown while the horses go to post - if they must at all. The paddock coverage is generally shown just before the off and rarely in time to make a decision whether to bet or not.
c) We hardly ever see the horses going to post. Sometimes if a big (generally Flat) race is due off we will see the favourite going down, but very rarely any of the others.
I highlight these major irritations because when SIS was first introduced I fell into conversation with one of their team who mentioned that they had instructions not to pan back to the rest of the field behind the first couple home and, if the winner was clear, to focus entirely on that horse.
Don't know if RTE coverage is sponsored, but that might be the root of the problem.
Sadly, the BBC has started to do this as well and I have noticed, several times, Clare Balding trying to get the cameraman in the paddock to focus on the horse she is talking about, not on her.
Given up watching the Mac and Thommo Show as they seem to have entirely forgotten that the horses are the stars of the show.
