Winners make it a marathon to savour

The Cheltenham Festival is, and always has been, a marathon rather than a sprint but the pace of life at the Prestbury Park racecourse in the depths of the Cotswolds never ceases to amaze no matter how many the renewals.

For the bones of four days every March, the authorities here manage to squeeze either six or seven races into a tiny, four-hour window and punters enter the spirit by throwing away millions of pounds spent on bets, booze and bites.

It’s immeasurable fun.