I CAN'T remember a week like it.

Today is the biggest and most important day in Flat racing for a long time, with the inaugural running of Qipco British Champions Day featuring the best horses and jockeys throughout the world.

However, it has been overshadowed by stories making the news.

First there was leading lady rider Cathy Cannon suffering a broken leg in a fall at Nottingham.

Then numerous jockeys fell foul of the new BHA whip guidelines, including top rider Richard Hughes, who relinquished his riding licence with immediate effect after receiving a ban on Thursday evening.

This story will run for some time, but it wasn't very clever bringing in this new rule five days before today's quality action.

Deep breaths, and let's move on because we do have the best racing in the world and today is a fine example.

Ascot's major crowd bearer is the mighty Frankel, who is unbeaten in eight starts and is a star in the making.

Once again Tom Queally will be on board Sir Henry Cecil's prize charge and the trainer is looking forward to it, saying: "He is a very happy horse with a lot of energy - he never seems to get tired.

"Although he is very active, he is not that hard a horse to get fit.

"You can give him an easy time and he comes back pretty quick.

"I don't particularly mind that it is on the straight course rather than the round at Ascot. I would not swap him, but no horse is a certainty.

"Frankel is potentially a very good horse - I think the best is still to come. If he stays right and everything goes to plan, I would like to think you will see a better horse as time goes on.

"I am not going to compare the best horses I have had over the years - they have been good friends to me.''

I will be at Cheltenham this afternoon. It's always a pleasure to go to the home of the National Hunt racing and local trainer Martin Keighley has a fine chance of taking the Zeturf.com handicap chase at 2.40.

A winner of two of his last three starts, Benbane Head has ran well at this track in the past and will appreciate the drying ground.

It promises to be a top-class day's racing in what has been a really challenging week for the sport we all love.