HORSEPOWER: BBC FOUR ACQUIRES HORSE RACING DOCUMENTARY SERIES

Horsepower, the acclaimed four-part documentary series following the fortunes of trainer Andrew Balding and jockey Oisin Murphy, will be available to watch on BBC platforms from 9 July.

All four episodes will be on BBC iPlayer from Tuesday 9 July, with the first two episodes broadcast that evening on BBC Four and the final two episodes broadcast on BBC Four a week later.

Produced by Lorton Entertainment and Equine Productions, Horsepower was filmed from autumn 2020 through to the summer of 2021 and captures a momentous period in the lives and careers of its two main protagonists, trainer Andrew Balding and jockey Oisin Murphy.

Featuring stunning footage filmed at the training stables of Kingsclere in Hampshire, viewers see Andrew Balding striving to take his yard to the next level. To do so he must achieve success at the highest grade, in races such as the Derby and at Royal Ascot.

Meanwhile, Balding’s principal jockey, Oisin Murphy, is facing the prospect of a ban following a positive test for cocaineallied with the fear of not knowing whether he will be able to rebuild his career.

Combining remarkable human-interest stories with unrivalled behind the scenes access and insight into the sport of horseracing, the series covers a nine-month period as the duo prepare for the biggest week of their year at one of the most prestigious events in the global sporting calendar, the five days of Royal Ascot.

Jo Lapping, Head of Factual Acquisition at BBC says: “We’re delighted to be bringing Horsepower to the BBC. The extraordinary access the series gives to life at a racing stable provides real insight to the commitment, hard work and occasional drama behind each race, making Horsepower a riveting watch for both fans and newcomers to the sport.”

Broadcaster and sister to Andrew, Clare Balding, who appears in the series, says: “Horsepower offers a great insight into how hard my brother has worked to turn Kingsclere into a training operation that can compete with the biggest and the best. I’m so proud of Andrew, his wife Anna Lisa and the team they have built around them and I found this series incredibly revealing – there’s stuff in here that I never knew and have never seen so I can safely say that it’s intriguing and the camera work is sensational.”

Ed Barratt, Chief Operating Officer, Lorton Entertainment, says: “Our partners, Equine Productions, deserve huge praise for producing this exceptional documentary. The enthralling mix of human-interest stories and stunning footage have rightly made for an acclaimed four-part series. It is so pleasing that another Lorton Entertainment-produced series will air on the BBC.

“The news that Horsepower will feature on both iPlayer and BBC Four follows the recent scheduling of ‘STABLE: The Boxing Game’ – a ringside look at the McGuigans’ boxing operation, which also aired on the BBC.”

Horsepower was produced and directed by Dave James and John Maxse and co-produced by Angus Paskin Orr and Stevan Riley.