Racing could learn from Poundland principles: give value, never short-change the customer and let word of mouth do the rest

The efforts made by the team at Warwick to ensure their customers were well catered for in every respect on Saturday's Classic Chase day may not have been rewarded with the size of crowd the team would have expected or deserved but, if there is any justice, their approach will surely bring long-term rewards.

The array of food vendors, well-manned drinks outlets, craft stalls and a brass band on stilts – no, I've no idea either – was in contrast to the offering the last time I visited the track. That was not long after the pandemic but long enough for the lack of catering and the extended queues for a warm can of Guinness to be inexcusable.

Now they have turned the course's biggest day into a wholly pleasurable experience and one which was rewarded with a 4,449 crowd last year. It was unfortunate the crowd had shrunk to 3,243 this time, probably because of the counter-attraction of Coventry City playing Leicester City in a lunchtime kick-off and delays on Chiltern Railways which made a trip to the heart of England more like a grim chapter in Heart Of Darkness. It might also be because the cost of living crisis is biting deep into spending on days out. Providing value for money is more important than ever.