Frankie Dettori boosted the Champions Day crowd - and one of those present could soon be living at 10 Downing Street
There were two remarkable outcomes late on Qipco British Champions Day.
The first was Frankie Dettori winning his final race as a full-time British-based jockey. The second came shortly afterwards when, for the first time I can remember, a racecourse posted an official attendance figure that felt too low.
For the sport's end-of-season celebration, this was a welcome boost. Last year's crowd of 23,872 was down on 2021's 25,324. If Baaeed made any positive difference to the number of tickets sold, it was only in helping to contain the year-on-year fall. On Saturday, Dettori really did make a difference, the 30,369 attendance representing a significant increase on last year's figure. The British Champions Series team that organised the day – and did an extremely good job in doing so – received the reward it deserved.
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Published on 22 October 2023inLee Mottershead
Last updated 14:00, 22 October 2023
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