THIS was meant to be the week that horse racing in Britain began to get back to normal, with plans for limited crowds to be allowed back at Doncaster for the St Leger Festival.

The hope was that strict observance of social distancing rules would prove a success, and that other proposed trials would pass off in similar manner, helping to ease restrictions further, so that those who rely on racegoers for their revenue stream, not least the tracks themselves, would see the green shoots of recovery after a protracted period of inactivity. Sadly, this brave new world lasted a matter of minutes before it all came crashing down.