Rachel Blackmore documentary premiere at Haydock Park

Nearly one in five people (19%) admit that they’re the go-to for a Saturday night viewing, and they are watching more of them now than ever before.

And they’re even becoming more and more popular for people that don’t have a horse in the race, with over half (60%) of non-sports fans admitting they have also tuned into a sports documentary.

When it comes to the G.S.D.O.A.T (greatest sports documentary of all time), there was one clear winner, Netflix’s Beckham. The three-part show on David Beckham’s rise to superstardom after overcoming adversity early on in his football career is a must watch and is top of the league.

The 2010 epic documentary film ‘Senna’, about the life and death of Brazilian Formula One Champion Ayrton Senna, took second on the grid of best sports docs, while the story of two Hollywood stars’ takeover and management of Welsh football club Wrexham, in ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ took the bronze medal on the podium.

As a nation, a peek behind the curtain of sportspeople’s lives is the main attraction, with over a third (38%) saying they watch documentaries for behind-the-scenes access and to learn about athlete’s struggles & challenges.

A quarter of Brits also admitted to enjoying the nostalgia of documentaries and reliving favourite sporting moments from the past.

As demand grows, fans are keen for more documentaries, with Michael Schumacher, Lionel Messi and the Manchester United 1999 treble winners topping the list of fan requests.

It’s not just traditionally popular sports that people are keen to see more of either, snooker ranked in the top ten for sports that people would like to see documentaries on, which is good timing for the new feature-length film on Ronnie O’Sullivan, ‘The Edge of Everything’.

More than a quarter of people polled called for more documentaries on horse racing, and on Saturday, those calls will be answered thanks to a yellow carpet premiere, a world’s first at a racecourse, to showcase Betfair’s latest production: ‘Serial Winners: Rachael Blackmore’.

The mini-documentary highlights the story of one of racings true gamechangers and will be available for all to see at Haydock and around the world on Saturday.

Betfair spokesperson, Sam Rosbottom said: “It’s clear that we’re a nation of sports documentary lovers. They are fast becoming the new ‘go-to’ for Saturday night viewing, bringing the same levels of drama and intrigue as some of the nation’s favourite soaps.

“Even people who aren’t into sport are tuning into them, with 60% saying they like to watch them. Give me Beckham over Brookside any day of the week!

“The story of Rachael Blackmore is no different – a tale of the trials, tribulations and perseverance it takes to succeed against the odds.

"Our Serial Winners mini-documentary will give fans a great insight on this and we can’t wait for the yellow carpet premiere at Haydock racecourse on Saturday.”

Watch and download the trailer for Serial Winners: Rachael Blackmore here https://vimeo.com/885266817/5991fc22a0?share=copy