They'll come for the bouncy castle - but they'll also be dazzled by the horses

I was at Epsom on Monday to cover the track's bank holiday family fun day and saw a glimpse of what a day at the races could, and should, be like for a family. It was fantastic.

Epsom went above and beyond the call of duty, putting on a mascot race, bungee trampoline, face painters, a climbing wall, crocodile encounters, a Wild West adventure, football darts, pony rides, a fancy dress competition, helter skelter, bouncy castle and merry-go-round. Every adult I spoke to regretted they were not ten years old again – a polite way of lamenting the fact it remains socially unacceptable for an adult to kick some children off something fun so you can have a go.

Perhaps the best thing was the three races, by age group, with children sprinting down the same hallowed turf on which Adayar stormed to success in June. It showed what racing can do to attract the next generation of fans and resulted in a bumper crowd of 7,500, Epsom's biggest of the year as its Derby and Oaks days were limited to 4,000 due to Covid restrictions.