Time to hail the return of racing, our sport of mountain-moving magnificence

That old adage "all good things come to those who wait" has always trailed a mildly smug and patronising waft in its wake.

But for once it is true. You have waited, and for the first time in 76 days horseracing returns in Britain on Monday with a ten-race Tapeta-fest at Newcastle which is being held behind closed doors due to Covid-induced restrictions.

While we understandably rejoice that our much-loved chunk of the nation's sporting bedrock is being chiselled back into longed-for life once more, we should not self-isolate from reality.