IT has undoubtedly been a good year for Ascot racecourse.

It’s been a rare phenomenon for the Royal Meeting to be lavished with praise by jumps fans, but the general consensus was that Ascot’s big meeting this year served up much more by way of entertainment than the annual March pilgrimage, which has suffered its PR setbacks in recent years due to rising prices on course and in the town, pushing many who would have stayed locally further afield.