Not everyone here loves racing but they all love this meeting

The atmosphere is amazing, Ascot is fabulous and the concert is a great addition to the action on the track. They were among the key reasons given by racegoers on Saturday for their attendance at one of British racing's great success stories.

Ten years ago the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup attracted an attendance of 20,989, well short of the 32,347 who had come to Ascot a couple of Saturdays earlier to see the sport's traditional midsummer showpiece, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

Things have changed since then. Last year, the King George day crowd was posted at 27,510, while the Shergar Cup's had soared to 30,416, representing a 45 per cent increase in its popularity.