Royal Ascot under the microscope: our team discuss the main talking points

It was a royal meeting like no other but the top-class action on the track more than made up for the absence of the usual pomp and pageantry. Our reporters rate what they witnessed.

New sprint handicap should be permanent

Six extra races were staged at this year’s behind-closed-doors Royal Ascot and a case can be made for them becoming a permanent fixture.

There was certainly no arguing with the demand for these races, averaging 19-runner fields across the six handicaps and boosting betting turnover with 36 races in all, and one contest in particular that should not be scrapped is the 5f three-year-old Palace of Holyroodhouse Handicap.