It was a rather soggy start to the Cheltenham festival, the pinnacle of the jump racing season, with the top of Cleeve Hill sometimes lost in mist, morning pints of Guinness diluted by the drizzle, and punters huddling together for warmth.
About 250,000 racegoers – from farmers to city slickers to royals and a great many Irish sports fans – descend on this corner of the West Country early every spring. This means there is always an awful lot for the Jockey Club to sort, but this time it feels as if it may be even more challenging than usual.
