Why running the Derby in July should be a permanent switch

There were things we normally see that were not seen at this year's Royal Ascot, but there were also things you would never expect to see that were seen.

You do not expect to walk through the concourse of Ascot's mighty grandstand and witness some of Britain's leading trainers munching their way through the contents of the Ascot paper lunch bag, almost as if returned to those (for some) distant days of school outings.

You do not expect to see senior members of the racecourse management assuming hands-on raceday roles, yet Ascot's commercial director Juliet Slot became parade ring steward, while Jane Jackson, head of partnerships and client relations, took on the same job in the pre-parade ring. That sort of mucking-in was reflective of the must-do, can-do, will-do attitude that made this bizarre but brilliant meeting such a success.