The two sentences uttered by Boris Johnson that scuppered Goodwood's plans to welcome 5,000

It was just a fortnight ago that the racecourse learned that lobbying had resulted in it being allowed to set up a scheme to allow 5,000 racecourse members and guests into the final day of Glorious Goodwood.

It was a feather in the cap and meant a huge amount of work by Goodwood staff to ensure the site would be ready to welcome the crowd in a safe manner with no risk of the spread of coronavirus.

Those plans were being finalised on Friday morning when Boris Johnson spoke to tell the nation the easing of certain lockdown restrictions was being put on hold - including the sporting crowd trials. It came precisely 23 hours before the gates were due to open.

Goodwood told it cannot admit 5,000 crowd on Saturday.

He said: "Pilots of larger crowds at sports venues will not take place. I said from May we would not hesitate to put on the brakes at the slightest sign that the numbers were going in the wrong direction."

It is a big blow to Goodwood, to racing, to the members who were looking forward to a day's racing, and to other sports including cricket who had also set up crowd plans for the next couple of weeks.

Goodwood had spent a six-figure sum getting the racecourse ready for tomorrow and are likely to speak to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport about being compensated - in a year when their proft and loss sheet is already looking far from healthy.

Now Goodwood - and all in sport - will be hoping this is just a temporary setback. Might crowds of the size Goodwood were planning be allowed in a month or two months' time? One month later and they might be able to let people into their August bank holiday festival.

For now, though, the hard-working staff at Goodwood can only reflect on wasted efforts. And on a lighter note, they can work out what to do with 14,000 scones and the rest of the picnic food they'd lined up for those expected Saturday visitors...