'The theatre may be empty but let's cast aside gloom and relish the spectacle'

Back in 1975, when our younger readers probably assume pterodactyls still circled the skies, the Gold Cup was won by Ten Up in the Arkle colours and that very serious hurdler Comedy Of Errors made no mistake in winning his second Champion.

Away in the wider world the British Hollywood star David Niven, an absurdly urbane, witty and irritatingly good-looking gem of a man, published the second volume of his autobiography titled Bring On The Empty Horses. Well, this week overlooking the revered ground of the Old and the New, we are bringing on the empty courses.

Across our beloved islands friends, fellow travellers and festival fanatics will be cleaved from Cleeve Hill. The faithful cannot make their annual pilgrimage and that imperishable cathedral of the winner’s enclosure will be bereft of its happy riot of raucous choristers.