'It's a completely mind-blowing experience' - Santa Anita is Willy Wonka's chocolate factory for visiting owners from Epsom

Clockers' Corner, normally populated by wise guys muttering out of the sides of their mouths about rotten workouts, was taken over by excited English accents on Monday morning. Steve and Jolene De'Lemos, owners of the perfectly named Live In The Dream, were here with six members of their family to start savouring their week at the big show.

"I feel like Charlie Bucket," Steve said, watching their chestnut have a quiet spin around on the hallowed turf. "We're at the Wonka factory and we're gonna sample every bit of candy that Santa Anita has to offer."

Winning the Nunthorpe was their golden ticket, guaranteeing a place in Saturday's Turf Sprint and paying for some of the expenses, though not all, and the cost of this trip still required serious consideration for owners who flew themselves in economy. "They give you $70,000 and you think, well, that'll get us there and back. But it's $30,000 entry and then the $40,000 got us out here."