When Rachael Blackmore and her horse Honeysuckle crossed the line to win Tuesday's Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham, she became the first woman jockey to do so in race history.
Last year, her win would have been greeted by roars that would have echoed round the Cotswolds. This year, with crowds banned due to Covid restrictions, the response to her triumph was more of a docile ripple.
The lack of spectators may have made for a less thrilling festival, but considering Cheltenham 2020 was called a 'Covid super spreader', festival organisers will accept the trade off.
Cheltenham 2020 v 2021: three contrasting pictures
As these three very different pictures show, the chances of a similarly grim outcome this year are, thankfully, slim.
Why did Cheltenham 2020 go ahead?
On February 13, 2020, the UK's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies convened to discuss whether large football crowds and other mass events had the potential to act as Covid super spreaders.
The syllogism seemed undeniable: lots of people packed together plus a respiratory virus that thrives on close contact equals the potential for lots of transmission.
Bafflingly, the experts decided it wasn't so incontrovertible, concluding that “there is no current evidence to suggest prevention of mass gatherings is effective in limiting transmission”.
The decision paved the way for the continuation of fans at football matches until March 13 and, most notoriously, Cheltenham's annual equine jamboree.
Taking place between March 10-13, it was attended by about 125,000 people.
On March 16, three days after the crowds had dispersed, new modelling from Imperial College London prompted a screeching about-face on the prudence of allowing mass gatherings.
One week later, on March 23, the UK was pitched into its first lockdown.
For the majority of people who had looked on from a social distance at the expectorant-filled race course, the news that mass gatherings had the potential to accelerate Covid's spread came as no surprise.
The risk at mass gatherings was no greater or less than it would have been in pubs or restaurants
However, it seemed to catch UK culture minister Oliver Dowden, the man who allowed Cheltenham to go ahead, on the hop.
“The risk at mass gatherings was no greater or less than it would have been in pubs or restaurants, and the advice at that point was that we did not need to ban mass gatherings," he said in April last year.
That same month, mortality figures compiled by the Health Service Journal showed that hospitals in the NHS trust that covers Cheltenham had recorded 125 Covid deaths, about double the death toll in neighbouring hospital trusts.
Given the number of variables involved, the link between Cheltenham and these data can only ever be anecdotal.
However, bar some fleeting interludes, UK fans have not been allowed to assemble in sporting stadia since.
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
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F1 2020 calendar
March 15 - Australia, Melbourne; March 22 - Bahrain, Sakhir; April 5 - Vietnam, Hanoi; April 19 - China, Shanghai; May 3 - Netherlands, Zandvoort; May 20 - Spain, Barcelona; May 24 - Monaco, Monaco; June 7 - Azerbaijan, Baku; June 14 - Canada, Montreal; June 28 - France, Le Castellet; July 5 - Austria, Spielberg; July 19 - Great Britain, Silverstone; August 2 - Hungary, Budapest; August 30 - Belgium, Spa; September 6 - Italy, Monza; September 20 - Singapore, Singapore; September 27 - Russia, Sochi; October 11 - Japan, Suzuka; October 25 - United States, Austin; November 1 - Mexico City, Mexico City; November 15 - Brazil, Sao Paulo; November 29 - Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi.
Eyasses squad
Charlie Preston (captain) – goal shooter/ goalkeeper (Dubai College)
Arushi Holt (vice-captain) – wing defence / centre (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Olivia Petricola (vice-captain) – centre / wing attack (Dubai English Speaking College)
Isabel Affley – goalkeeper / goal defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Jemma Eley – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Alana Farrell-Morton – centre / wing / defence / wing attack (Nord Anglia International School)
Molly Fuller – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Caitlin Gowdy – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Noorulain Hussain – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai College)
Zahra Hussain-Gillani – goal defence / goalkeeper (British School Al Khubairat)
Claire Janssen – goal shooter / goal attack (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Eliza Petricola – wing attack / centre (Dubai English Speaking College)
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: six-speed manual
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Speed: 0-100km/h 3.9 seconds
Price: Dh230,000
On sale: now
MATCH INFO
Inter Milan 2 (Vecino 65', Barella 83')
Verona 1 (Verre 19' pen)
About Okadoc
Date started: Okadoc, 2018
Founder/CEO: Fodhil Benturquia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Healthcare
Size: (employees/revenue) 40 staff; undisclosed revenues recording “double-digit” monthly growth
Funding stage: Series B fundraising round to conclude in February
Investors: Undisclosed
