'There are smiles on people's faces and we haven't seen that in a long time'

Not only did we have a Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby in high definition, although that particular picture wasn't as clear as we expected, we had one with sound.

Nobody touched the mute button and, as William Buick and Hurricane Lane began to reel in Frankie Dettori, there was actual noise. It wasn't fake either, it was real, unedited emotion from real paying customers.

The big race itself was at variance with most of the last 12 months – two British-trained horses hammering the Irish – and so too was the atmosphere during it. Dettori swooped on Lone Eagle, the crowd got excited, and the volume was turned up another few notches as Hurricane Lane emerged from the pack to go in chase. It felt abnormal to be feeling normal again.