HALLELUJAH! How great was it to see green grass, blue sky, the colours of a crowd of racegoers at a big summer festival race meeting with most of the top and tails trimming that we annually enjoy from Royal Ascot.

Yes, you couldn’t even complain about any fashion segments on the main TV channel coverage – we were seeing people talking to people, enjoying a day at the races. After the past year, having owners interviewed and without mask was such a relief. Even Rich Ricci was back in the parade ring!

Mind you, every racing presenter available from each of ITV and Sky Sports Racing were out and about on track.

Those holding a microphone instead of the whip could have filled the full set of stalls for a Royal Hunt Cup, such was the amount of contributors through the day across both channels.

And of course, it was a bit like one of those sprint Group 1s, one or two were top level but a good bunch were listed performers trying to get a look in!

Brough Scott on ITV set the scene early in describing how things should pan out for the day. He called the week: “Undoubtedly our greatest challenge since we all left Cheltenham and racing unfairly got plenty of blame. These five days must be a celebration and we must leave it with a sense of inspiration not indignation.”

He already felt a sense that “People are respecting the rules, but enjoying themselves, life must go on but within limits.”

Nick Smith, Director of Racing and Public Affairs at Ascot, was asked by Richi Persad on ITV: “How close to normal to you feel we’re we getting, at the start of thus five day meeting?

“It’s a hybrid, we’re getting there. It’s nice to see people in the dress code. Very much building up to 2022, platinum jubilee, and everything back to really where we should be.” The meeting is a test sporting event to accumulate data to help further open up through the summer.

After the Coventry, owner Paul Spicket from Berkshire Parts & Panels Ltd tells of his £40,000 purchase, ”We were worried we bought him too cheap because of being a Dark Angel. Too cheap was good enough.”

The owners’ tales have been so missed over the last year.

The actual race pictures on Sky Racing are better, ITV’s are often too far away and they persist in the mid-race drone footage which is still not for me.

On the Sky Racing preview, I’m not sure of one presenter’s logic in supporting Battaash on his first run of the season at a track with a stiff finish. “He’s seven years old, he knows the time of day.” A fast Ascot track on a summer’s day was not his best hour this time.

Was there still a whiff of something unpleasant on the mind? Luke Harvey picking out Ben Johnson instead of Ben Curtis down at the start for the Coventry Stakes. Don’t mention the war!

ITV have the on course immediate post-race interviews and they are all good – the younger group of jockeys are tremendously good at expressing themselves and acknowledging all those around the horses. It might be hard to beat a Frankie Group 1 flying dismount start but Oisin Murphy and Cieran Fallon after the next two races were excellent communicators.

Jockeys in helmet and silks are often invisible and only get screen time on a main TV channel in those brief moments of success.

Matt Chapman does well with the jockey interviews and covered the bookmakers’ ring earlier on ITV but often on these big days, his style can jar. Racing down the front lawn might be fun at Windsor of a Monday evening but at Royal Ascot it just looked a bit too much. Would improve for the application of blinkers and tongue tie for the big days!

Sky did play a trump card of the day in getting Jim Bolger on the phone almost immediately in the re-run of Poetic Flare’s brilliant St James’s Palace success.

On track Una Manning conveyed the same comment from her father to ITV a bit later. “That’s exactly what I was expecting.”

ITV do make good efforts to include all angles for racing buffs and the casual viewer.

The winner’s pedigree charts are a good addition.

It was nice to see people sitting back enjoying themselves as the fashion presenters Mark and Charlotte strolled about before the later races, hearing that one lady had travelled down from Scotland. Can we soon see the same attendance here?

Wednesday

On the second day, a check back with Nick Smith reported no issues in patrons abiding by the attendance rules. “None at all, the system worked really well,” he said of complying with all the government regulations for entry.

The day brought a host of feel-good winners and a wide range of owners getting there few minutes of delight and sharing it with the various interviewers. Matt Chapman tried to get Aidan O’Brien to feel the Love but he was a bit less forthcoming.

From Mariam Zerehi arriving from the US to cheer on Quick Suzy on behalf of Eclipse Thoroughbreds to the emotional group, The Woodway 20, partners in a 10,000gns yearling purchase winning at Royal Ascot, interviewed on ITV as some of the group were only meet for the first time due to the lockdown year.

Ed Chamberlin divulged that John Gosden’s head lad Tony Proctor had told him that he had covered 23km on his feet with the horses in the heat the previous day.

Sir Michael Stoute was an admirer of Love in his interview before the Prince of Wales’s Stakes. “Looks magnificent, great depth and power behind the saddle.” ITV have Ken Pitterson to give a paddock appearance appraisal, and Luke Harvey gets a bit of insight down at the start where the behind the stalls cameras capture any drama.

The Windsor Castle winner was a debate point of the day. Commentators differed in pronouncing his name. He was Chi - pol - tay on ITV!

The early straight track races were dominated by the stands side and Seb Sanders on Sky Racing was strong to criticise jockeys after the Duke Of Cambridge when Frankie came to win on the stands’ side. “You cannot win going across, unless you are an absolute superstar. You cannot win up the middle.”

Then of course came the Royal Hunt Cup and Marco Ghiani and Real World made a mockery of all that had been said, followed by Chipotle in the Windsor Castle.

The drama of the non-starting Stunning Beauty was perfectly captured by a camera above Silvestre de Sousa in the stalls.

Another excellent interview is given by David Loughnane after the last. It is worth watching all though the day because, even if it has a ‘Royal’ tag, there’s a place for everyone at this meeting.

Over all, there were some lovely clips of grooms and connections celebrating, collected from social media over the previous 24 hours, shown again through the ITV Social Stable. It can be hit and miss, but does give a spot to link in all those at home at a meeting like this.