Racing must make the customer king - replacing fractional odds with decimals would be an easy way to start

Racing is known as the sport of kings, and invariably that's a help, but occasionally it might be a hindrance.

The negative aspect was highlighted during an afternoon wandering around Kingston upon Thames, where those shoppers who thought I was neither dangerous nor seeking to sell a charity subscription told me what they thought about Britain's second most popular spectator sport.

Most answered only one question, immediately making clear their lack of any interest in racing. There were rather too many of those for comfort, but a few of the non-believers did at least offer reasoning for their views. Some highlighted the sport's association with gambling and concerns regarding equine welfare as reasons for indifference or hostility towards racing. Also put forward more than once was the issue of cost.