OLI BELL: 'There is plenty to cheer amid the gloom'

THE curtain comes down on the Flat Season on Saturday with the Qatar Racing British Champions Day taking centre stage at Ascot. It will round off what has been a phenomenal year on the track. One of my abiding memories of the 2026 season will be just how special the major festivals have felt. From Bow Echo’s win at Newmarket in the 2000 Guineas right the way through to Saffie Osborne’s history-making success at Doncaster in the St Leger, it has felt electric at the showcase meetings.