Regular pilgrims to Epsom's Open Day must alter their routine this year. Philip Mitchell's landmark yard, adjacent to the Derby start, will be closed, on Sunday, for the first time since the trainers launched the event more than a decade ago. It may, though, only be a temporary omission.

Mitchell, best known for the transatlantic exploits of Running Stag, handed in his licence last November and admits to encountering financial problems. Since then, he has expanded his horse transport business with notable success but, as a very young 60-year-old, he could yet resume his 33-year training career.

“I had a chat last weekend with someone showing interest in coming in with me,” Mitchell told Diary. “If it happened, I would hope to pull things together for the next Flat season but I'd have to cut my cloth a lot tighter.

“A lot of trainers are awful businessmen and I let a few things slip. Fortunately, a pal in the City told me this time last year that things were going to get dire and interest rates would go through the roof. It's been a good year to take out.”

Eight Epsom yards open from 9am on Sunday and Mitchell says: “I'm sure people will come here as they've always done, so I'll have to stick a sign on the gate telling them there's nothing to look at. Maybe next year.”

Ricky Hatton's reputation as the most popular British boxer in a generation was fully endorsed at Haydock on Sunday, where he received a hero's reception for a race named in his honour. Hatton signed endless autographs and, when the bell rang for jockeys to mount, he alarmed everyone in his group by jokily raising his fists for the start of a fight.

He may not, though, be returning regularly to racetracks as he suffers to from an allergy to horses. This apparently resurfaced after the presentation ceremony on Sunday and Hatton, eyes streaming uncontrollably, required medical attention.

With the striking exception of Big Mac, whose duties are being scaled down anyway, Channel 4's regular pundits have not been known for criticising jockeys. This made the remarks of Jim McGrath, the Timeform guru, all the more corsuscating at Newmarket last Friday. McGrath was disinclined to agree with his sidekick John Francome in excusing Ryan Moore's unavailing late surge on Lovelace in the Bunbury Cup. “I think he's ridden some shocking races recently,” McGrath bristled of the champion-elect.

This time last year, the floods were at their worst and Peter Bowen learnt never to disagree with his wife. Stuck in traffic chaos as they headed from West Wales to the big summer jumps meeting at Market Rasen, Peter, driving one horsebox, ignored the advice of wife Karen, driving another, on the best route.

The result was “water up to the windscreen” in Evesham and a 17-hour journey for the trainer. Remarkably, Iron Man, subsequent winner of the Summer Plate, was in Bowen's box. Husband and wife are taking two lorry-loads again this weekend but it is a fair bet they will stay close.

Tony Culhane becomes the latest jockey to return from a corruption ban when he rides at Hamilton on Thursday. Culhane, 39, served a 12-month suspension for “aiding and abetting a breach of the rules”. Rehabilitating jockeys after such integrity breaches remains a controversial issue but Robert Winston has been accepted back warmly and now rides again for some of the country's leading trainers. Culhane must hope for similar forgiveness.

It sometimes seems that Michael Bell, or his owners, pre-select the names of horses likely to be ridden by Hayley Turner. The country's top female jockey, and nobody's idea of a Plain Jane, was the regular rider on Turn Me On. Now, her mounts for the Newmarket yard include Just Like A Woman, Bahamian Babe and the suggestively titled recent winner, Loveinanelevator.

John Woodcock, cricket correspondent of this paper for 34 years, has waited until his 80s to enter racehorse ownership but clearly thinks the game is a doddle. Kokkokila, trained by Lady Herries, scored at Warwick last month before running third at Newbury on Friday night, where the card also featured a horse called The Wily Woodcock.