It's the summer of Animal Rising - and racing must be ready with thoughtful arguments and not just added security

If I'd been making a book on likely times and places for demonstrations to occur last Saturday, a dank Doncaster, in the fading light before the sixth race of the evening, would not have figured on the first page.

The arrival of five pink-clad activists on Rose Hill walking down the course tied together and carrying an Animal Rising banner caught just about everyone by surprise, but it was dealt with quickly enough to cause barely a ripple of discontent in the crowd of Yorkshire racegoers. With only a four-runner field going to post, some might have thought it was punters protesting about small field sizes.

The late appearance and choice of venue may well have been because of an inability to strike somewhere rather more high-profile – no disrespect to Doncaster – on The Mall or the Rowley Mile, because of the controversial pre-emptive arrests by police.