Fury and frustration but also an abundance of smiles on a vintage Champions Day

It would not quite be true to say all human life was here, but on Champions Day we were undoubtedly surrounded by all human emotion.

For the roughly 25,000 people who combined to deliver Ascot's biggest attendance since this day two years ago, there was mainly delight to be part of a huge sporting and social occasion. Among those striving for success on Britain's richest raceday there was elation, frustration, fury and joy. There were tears from the winners and tears from the losers – and in the now three-time champion jockey, there was a winner who looked like a loser.

In many ways this was Oisin Murphy's day. There were, however, times when he wore the expression of a young man who would rather be anywhere else. He arrived with the title battle almost won, yet his journey to Ascot must have been made in trepidation. Details of last week's late-night drunken episode in Newmarket had been revealed by newspapers just hours earlier. When eventually there was an opportunity for questions to be posed, an uncomfortable Murphy answered by asking us to concentrate on the racing.