A freak of a horse makes us feel like things are right again

Considerable effort has gone into trying to make Royal Ascot 2020 feel as normal as it possibly can despite the circumstances. Ironically, it took a freak of a horse totally out of the ordinary to make us feel like things were right again.

Coronavirus has stripped Royal Ascot back to its barest components, to the core of what the sport and the week is about — racing, watching and celebrating the best thoroughbred racehorses in the world.

Yet the absence of any atmosphere in the goliath grandstand beyond the odd ripple of appreciation has reminded us all too much of what we are missing. We have been able to acknowledge and accept what is happening, but have been left yearning for more to be accessible to make the experience whole.