Ian Bartlett is a horse racing

Horse racing

Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...

 commentator and occasional analyst for the BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

.. He has also commentated for Channel 4 Racing

Channel 4 Racing

Channel 4 Racing is the name given to the horse racing coverage on the British television station Channel 4.-History:The first transmission of racing on the channel was on 22 March 1984 from Doncaster, as it took over midweek coverage which had previously been on ITV...

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For the BBC's television coverage of the Grand National

Grand National

The Grand National is a world-famous National Hunt horse race which is held annually at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of four miles and 856 yards , with horses jumping thirty fences over two circuits of Aintree's National Course...

, Bartlett commentates on four sections of the 4½-mile steeplechase

Steeplechase

Steeplechase may refer to:* Steeplechase, an event in horse racing* SteepleChase, a Danish jazz label* Steeplechase , a 1975 arcade game released by Atari...

, from the 1st to 5th fence, 10th to 12th, 17th to 21st and 26th to 28th.

Also known by his racing peers as Barty, he is known for his love of Veuve and claims that his Mastermind

Mastermind (TV series)

Mastermind is a British quiz show, well known for its challenging questions, intimidating setting and air of seriousness.Devised by Bill Wright, the basic format of Mastermind has never changed — four and in later contests five contestants face two rounds, one on a specialised subject of the...

specialist subject would be the road network of the United Kingdom as he drives in excess of 40,000 miles per year.

Bartlett also counts comedy duo Hale & Pace amongst his closest friends after working with them on the television show Jobs for the Boys

Jobs for the Boys

"Jobs for the Boys" is the seventh episode of the BBC comedy series Yes Minister and was first broadcast 7 April 1980. In this episode, the final ' Yes Minister ' is uttered by Sir Humphrey Appleby...

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