Ascot's smart approach to selling racing tells us we can be royalty - even if just for one day

How do you sell racing these days? Do you focus on the horses or do you take another approach?

Much depends on how easy it is to sell the sport and, unfortunately, that's hard in this day and age. You need only to look at the latest attendance figures for Derby day to realise the golden age of that great race, when half of south London used to take a day off on a Wednesday and flock to the Downs to watch it, is long gone. For anybody who wants a description of the race of old, I recommend reading Derby Day by DJ Taylor, a well-written novel capturing its excitement and importance.

Would a return to a Wednesday slot revitalise the event? I doubt it. Good luck to anyone tasked with persuading a millennial or a Gen Z to head there in the middle of the week to watch a horserace.