'I've been waiting three months for this - racing is my life'

Just when it seemed like things couldn't get any stranger, the instruction arrives to spend Ascot Gold Cup day in a not-so-sunny Stevenage, savouring the action in the socially distanced environment of a Ladbrokes betting shop.

To be fair, the shop in question in the Hertfordshire town's main shopping precinct is not your average bookies. While its dated high street location might be undergoing a £50 million upgrade, the cash has already been splashed in what is one of just two 'next generation' Ladbrokes shops in the country.

It might be 50 miles north of Berkshire, but this is the Royal Ascot of betting shops.