View from the steps: the little things made all the difference over two days at the Cheltenham Festival

I wasn't at all surprised to discover the drop in numbers attending the first two days of the Cheltenham Festival, with the crowd only scraping past 50,000 on Wednesday for Energumene's second Queen Mother Champion Chase success - 10,000 fewer than for Tuesday's Champion Hurdle opening salvo. 

As a paying spectator, there was just a little bit more room to move on Tuesday; in the bars, queuing at the Tote or securing a decent view from the grandstand steps. On Wednesday it was positively comfortable. 

Was the bar that my friends and I patronise a little quieter because the beer was self-service? Perhaps. But the system was efficient and there were plenty of staff on hand to explain, to help pour when you ran out of hands, and to mop any spillages.