Since the early 1800s. the English always had a passion for horse racing: the wealthy purchased, bred and raced horses and people of all classes of society bet on their performance. As more and more racecourses opened across the country, so more punters flocked to them and special excursion trains ferried them to and from the tracks. Enormous sums of money changed hands; between the two world wars, it was estimated that the annual turnover in racing circles approached £500,000,000.

I have to admit I did have a chuckle at the recent melee at Ascot, because for so long horse racing has been perceived as a noble and sophisticated sporting event which isn’t attended by drunken yobs. Yet there is a history attached to the game that is dark.  Such as the brutality of the race track gangs which were a social problem right up until the middle of the 20th Century, plus vast gambling scams and there was no bigger betting coup then The Epsom Derby of 1844.