The secret ingredient in the world's most evocative races

As anyone who has ever tried to sell friends on the appeal of racing knows, it can be a tricky experience. The biggest dilemma, in such a multifaceted sport, is simply knowing where to start.

Do you take the easy route and present it as a banging social day out with a dash of sporting drama drizzled on top? Do you emphasise the excitement and potential profit of betting? Do you go all in, plunging straight into the intricacies of the Pattern, ratings, form and so forth, in a bid to unveil the beguiling mysteries that underpin this most complex of simple sports?

Or do you try to combine all three, knowing that doing so might overwhelm even the most curious of outsiders?