In 1949, the 18th Earl of Derby revived the tradition of the Derby Club dinner in London, three days before the race. His guests of honour were the Prince of Wales and Winston Churchill. No one can remember which of them spoke, so they can’t have been very interesting. Encouraged by this, I foolishly accepted the invitation from the 19th Earl to address the dinner last week.

I say foolishly because the Derby Club has a reputation for being a rough crowd. Its members even pelted the great Martin Bayfield with bread rolls when he cracked a few rugby jokes in 2008.

One tie-less guest, who for some reason had come in his slippers, was drinking beer from a bottle

One tie-less guest, who for some reason had come in his slippers, was drinking beer from a bottle

I’m delighted to say that times have changed. Women now attend and, oh boy, what a calming influence they’ve had on that blue-blooded bear pit. I asked my mate Fritz where all the aristocratic old farts had gone to. He replied: ‘We are the old farts these days.’

Some, however, would say that standards have slipped. One tie-less guest, who for some reason had come in his slippers, was drinking beer from a bottle. And one of the most coveted tables in the centre of the Sheraton Grand ballroom was served red wine........

© The Spectator