The audience are an enthusiastic bunch. The odd glass of vodka helps, of course

Location Moscow
Dateline August 28

Once you have cut the red tape, Moscow opens up before you. Many cities all over the world host Derbys, all stemming from the original version staged at Epsom, all with their own unique variation, and Moscow is no different yet very different in its own way.

It's lucky, though, that the Derby meeting isn't a five-day festival, as owing to the strict restrictions on my visa it was only a fleeting visit, but there was just enough time to be a tourist and visit Red Square, the Kremlin and the Bolshoi before heading to Moscow Central Hippodrome, about six miles north-west of the city centre.