When Windsor staged what was billed as its last jumps meeting, in December 1998, the final race on the card was the Norwegian Blue Handicap Hurdle – a clear sign that as far as the track was concerned, jumping was no more. It had ceased to be.
A generation later, though, it is suddenly showing distinct signs of life. There were just under 5,000 racegoers here last month for the first officially scheduled jumps meeting for 26 years and the queues at the turnstiles on Friday – the first of two days as part of the first Berkshire Winter Million festival, with the Clarence House Chase card at Ascot as the meat in the sandwich – suggested plenty of those fans had come back for more.
