Winning Windsor

If ever I feel my zest for racing flagging, a day at Windsor soon sorts things out. The Thameside track, even more fun if you go there by boat, is one of the friendliest I know. Families picnic on the grass between the parade ring and the winner’s enclosure, the jazz bands stroll between the champagne and Pimm’s bars and, rarity of rarities on most racecourses, you can even find somewhere to sit down, a true mercy for those of us with occasionally dodgy backs. If you back Richard Hannon’s horses through the card, too, you can usually guarantee a winner. The fast-food outlets are the freshest you will find, and on Saturday I liked the style of the wine bar, which was well enough into the football-focused week to advertise its Gavi di Gavi as having ‘a finish better than Balotelli’s’.

It certainly was a good day for Italy with jockey Andrea Atzeni knocking off a double on Mezzotint for his compatriot Marco Botti and Vasily for fellow Newmarket trainer Robert Eddery.