It's true there didn't seem to be any of the normal buzz of a season opener, most people I spoke to seemed a bit "oh well, here we go again" rather than being excited about the coming season. Ironically, the hugely improved paddocks seemed to amplify the lack of atmosphere with everyone spread out across relatively empty space. Even the weather couldn't be a***ed one way or the other!
Back there in a few weeks for the festival, let's hope we've all cheered up a bit by then