Royal Ascot will be staged responsibly - and so was the Cheltenham Festival

It almost certainly remains true that the rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain, while it is correct that in Hertford, Hereford, and Hampshire, hurricanes hardly happen. Even so, they most definitely got a couple of things wrong in My Fair Lady, although in one instance it has taken an awfully long time for the error to materialise.

Those who love horseracing and musicals will be particularly fond of the scene in My Fair Lady set on the opening day of Royal Ascot, where Audrey Hepburn's Eliza Doolittle famously causes an almighty scene by cheering on her chosen horse with the words: "Move your bloomin' arse!"

Regrettably, she did so when watching a race in which the runners were competing on a left-handed track. Then, as now, Ascot was right-handed. Thankfully, the error failed to diminish Hepburn's standing in thespian circles.