You could say that Royal Ascot is the closest thing to the Cheltenham Festival that we have on the flat, but it all depends on your perspective. For the flat purist, that’s a bit like saying that the Louvre is the closest thing to the National Gallery that they have in France.

What we do know is, like Cheltenham week, Royal Ascot is a special week, the best horses, prepared by the best trainers, ridden by the best riders in a week that spills over with top class horse racing. If Cheltenham is the Olympics of National Hunt racing, Royal Ascot is the Olympics of flat racing.