Deathly silence no scene for a showman - but Dettori remains top dog

Day one at Royal Ascot and the winner's enclosure feels more like an undertaker's parlour. The deathly silence, allied to the empty grandstands to which we would all have to become accustomed, isn't the place for a great entertainer to work his magic.

Even so, racing's ultimate showman, Frankie Dettori, proved he was still top dog in 2020. Taken aback by the scenes at Ascot on 2020, he nonetheless went on to ride six winners at the meeting, and by the end of the season his tally of nine Group 1 winners – albeit some way off the 19 he rode in 2019 – was more than any other rider based in Britain and Ireland.

Not that Dettori has particularly enjoyed the ride. Prize-money cuts prompted by the effects of Covid-19 contributed to him earning 70 per cent less than in 2019, and as much as that drop in income he will remember the season for its distinct lack of racecourse atmosphere.