By Cornelius Lysaght BBC racing correspondent

Racing desperately needs a good, clean fight this week because the sport has had a desperate time of late.

BBC sparks Jockey Club talks

Royal Ascot's major races

First the Kenyon Confronts programme showed people making some silly remarks and then the doping court cases put the sport under even more pressure.

Because of that it has to be an incident-free five days at Ascot, with all the drama on the turf.

And there should be some great racing in famous races such as the St James's Palace Stakes on Tuesday, the Gold Cup on Thursday and the Golden Jubilee Stakes on Saturday.

That race is being seen as one of the highlights in the Queen's jubilee year.

The Queen famously spoke of her annus horribilis a few years ago when things went very badly and racing had its equivalent week last week.

The Queen is an Ascot regular

The claims made by the Kenyon Confronts programme and the revelations of widespread corruption linked to racing made on Friday horrified me.

I heard people on a phone in to Radio Five Live saying that the BBC should stop covering racing until it shows its house is in order.

These are very disturbing times for racing, so it is terribly important that things go well and that all the drama is the right type of drama at Ascot.

The sport has to pick itself up and dust itself down after a pretty grisly time, but we have to accept that that grisly time is set to continue.

The Jockey Club has to make an announcement about what action intends it to take following the Kenyon Confronts programme and last week's court cases.

Glitz and glamour

If you have to pick yourself up then Royal Ascot is probably the perfect place to do it.

I am sure the meeting will have all its usual glitz and glamour, as well as plenty of exciting racing, and it could be a big fillip.

It is impossible to underestimate how much of a kick in the teeth last week was.

Racing is in need of a boost and the meeting has to provide that.

The sport has to have the stomach for the fight at the moment to overcome some very difficult times and it also needs stamina to last for the five days of this great festival.

Those are the same traits that the best horses will have as well and let us hope that we see plenty of those qualities both on and off the course.