BHA's whip figures for Royal Ascot: 89 days handed out in jockey bans - that's 89 nails in the coffin, as far as anti-racing activists are concerned. Yet how many of these penalised rides looked bad? BHA seems intent on bringing racing into disrepute, while censuring jockeys subject to bad rules.

Revisited the 1925 silent version of "Ben Hur" again tonight, with Carl Davis's wonderful orchestral score. Two and a quarter hours well spent, especially for Ramon Navarro and that thrilling chariot race ... though the level of whip abuse would give poor dear Brant Dunshea the screaming habdabs.

Ryan Moore is famous wherever he rides, whether in Asia, Australia, Europe or America. His achievement has been marked by the award of an MBE this morning. Yet he has been airbrushed out of BBC's long and exhaustive Honours List article. Another example of BBC's bigotry and prejudice against Racing.

It may seem shocking for Aidan O'Brien to send his best colt (Constitution River) to Chantilly rather than Epsom, but before the cries of "woe, woe and thrice woe" resound, we should remember that he did just the same in 2021, when St Mark's Basilica went to France, and Bolshoi Ballet to England.

Can't say that I was impressed by Talk of New York at Newmarket this afternoon, lengthening rather than quickening to win the small-field conditions race which has (inexplicably) replaced the beloved Free Handicap. As he's second-favourite for the Guineas now, it's not looking a vintage year, is it?

Have a feeling that the best horse we've seen in UK or Ireland today might have been in the conditions race at Kempton all-weather - impressive from King's Trail, with Guineas and Derby in mind for Godolphin.

It seems that the Southwell stewards - not Billy Loughnane - have fouled up here. There's horse welfare, and there's veterinary arrogance. Hard to believe this idiocy won't be reversed on appeal. www.racingpost.com/news/britain...

Irish & French turf seasons kicked off last weekend, but UK doesn't get going until March 28. Grand National later than ever (April 11), pushing the Newmarket Guineas trials (April 15/16) perilously close to the classics themselves. Which BHA "planners" are responsible for this self-harm strategy?

I have huge admiration for Ruby Walsh, but his notion of a "rolling tape" for starting races on UK and Irish courses is eccentric fantasy. Whatever its theoretical merits, his suggestion has absolutely no practicability. NH starts have always been messy, and always will be. Accept it, and move on.

I'm scratching my head to imagine the missing letters in "p**k", which Nico de Boinville allegedly shouted to Declan Queally before the Grade 1 hurdle. "Punk"? Surely not. "Pikey" doesn't fit. Any ideas? The ban stewards handed to Mr Q for misdemeanours down at the start merely adds to the intrigue.

www.racingpost.com/news/britain... Please tell me this is a wind-up. If BHA is looking for leadership, energy, imagination - or even simple competence - the organisation must look elsewhere. Unless of course the board is terminally lazy, with a fatalistic deadwish for British racing.

www.racingpost.com/news/britain... As most bookie sponsorship goes into racecourse coffers rather than to connections, reclaiming unique race names with no ads might be a great marketing and promotional move. "Lancashire Chase" is less of a dampener than "Betfair Chase", to take an obvious example.

Saturday's Fighting Fifth at Newcastle shows that the best (i.e. most compelling) contests do not take place these days at the overhyped, micromanaged Cheltenham Festival. With Constitution Hill up against The New Lion and Anzadam, this is going to be the best hurdle race of the season, bar none.

www.racingpost.com/news/britain... If ever there was a case of a horse ruined by owner mismanagement, here it is. After his heroic Derby 2nd, Ambiente Friendly should have been dropped back to 10f, to harness his speed and temperament. But quixotic, desperate campaigning has led to a gelded hurdler

For a second there I thought we might be seeing a new Celtic Song in the Mill Reef today: but in the end Into the Sky's inexperience told, and he got himself beaten. What a prospect for next year, though, if they can harness that talent.

This is a delightful read: nice touch of JC-H to lay a wreath at Kincsem's statue at the course. Quite an occasion. www.racingpost.com/news/britain...

With a five-time-raced maiden as favourite, is this perhaps the worst Gimcrack ever? Despite its Group 2 status, and munificent prize purse, the race seems to be in decline. Does the threat of the Gimcrack Dinner Speech put today's top owners off?

Does BHA have to choose between trashing the Shergar Cup, or continuing to support its disastrous "whip rules"? Standards are low enough as it is, without further disincentives for overseas riders. More self-inflicted harm to UK racing. www.racingpost.com/news/britain...

www.racingpost.com/news/ireland... I suppose we're getting so inured to this kind of report that it scarcely merits comment anymore. But if BHA think that their senseless whip rules do racing's reputation any good, or widen its appeal, they are living in communal cloud-cuckoo land. Lord help us.

The BBC's evident distaste for horseracing has reached a new nadir this week. Yesterday their website's Ascot header was "Harry's Girl dies at Royal Ascot", today it was "Dozens fall ill in heat at Royal Ascot". Balance? Impartial journalism? Forget it. BBC Sport is all about bigotry and prejudice.

www.racingpost.com/news/britain... Shock, horror. BHA unable to function? Business as usual, then.

www.racingpost.com/news/ireland... With bans for using your whip, and bans for *not* using it ... who'd be a jockey, in this Alice-through-the-looking-glass sport?

@racingtv.com, I think you'll find that GISELLE, having been named by the classy Susan Magnier, is named after the world-famous ballet heroine, and not a contemporary model.

Chester Races! Starting with the Lily Agnes, one of those races which somehow means much more than its mere conditions. It's named after a grand mare (1871-1899) who not only won the Northumberland Plate and the Ebor, but became the dam of the great Ormonde - thus her memorial race at Chester.

Just opining to @racingtv.com about the length of time it's taking them to get their replays up (currently two hours and counting for the Curragh), as well as the Betfair bawling to which subscribers are subjected - 5 secs with no click-through - before every single replay. Not subscriber friendly!

Alas, for Ambiente Friendly. Six jockeys in ten starts, a switch of trainers, and one owner who doesn't listen to advice and takes a cavalier approach to distance and tactics. This is the result, and it's sad to see.

www.racingpost.com/news/interna... This one is clearly set to run and run. The trainers have a good point: you don't expect to enter your horse in one race, only to see it declared in another. I'm shocked that France Galop appear to be shocked by the trainers' decisive action.

www.racingpost.com/news/interna... "There are no longer any horsemen, any racing people, at the heart of France Galop, only administrators". Sad stuff, true for France, true for UK. With the suits and marketing execs. at the helm, sport (like the arts) goes onto the back burner and vanishes away.

Field of Gold - what a gorgeous winner of the Craven. Hope he can follow up in the Guineas itself.

I find it bizarre and disconcerting, that amidst its plethora of Aintree news today, Racing Post finds no room at all for this controversial BHA decision on Mr Incredible: www.bbc.co.uk/sport/horse-...

An interesting claim from James Owen, pinpointing an increasingly serious issue: they're galloping for five or more seconds before the start (nearly half a furlong) in too many jumps races. Race distances are now often misleading. www.racingpost.com/news/britain...

Walkovers. Have BHA got it wrong again? Not requiring the horse to even turn up at the racecourse could be a potential cheats' charter. A walkover is still an official race, after all, and showing up should be a condition of taking the prize.

If anyone has 15 minutes for some quality downtime, this Coolmore feature is the definition of a good read. The stories, the stories... www.racingpost.com/bloodstock/n...

Thoughtful perspectives from HD on the gap between us and Japan, where racing thrives superbly: www.racingpost.com/news/opinion...

I wonder if anyone else finds this the most dispiriting race day of the year? Moving to a diet of steamed lentils after the goose-with-all-the-trimmings and Christmas puddings of the last week is doubtless healthy and bracing, but ... oh so dull.

Chris Cook on the festive fogs: www.racingpost.com/news/the-fro... When Ed Chambelin said "there's nothing we could do" at Chepstow, I thought, "but you could have kept the back-straight tracking car camera here which you've cut". But no, saving a few pence was more important to ITV than the race.

In response to my complaint to the Gambling Commission about double-speak re. 'affordability' in CEO Andrew Rhodes's letter to the Racing Post, they've pointed me to ... Andrew Rhodes's RP letter, 'in hope it addresses your concerns'. L. Carroll could hardly improve on such exquisite circularity.

'... racing has a unique position with its relationship with the betting industry. It's a special relationship, a bit like the one between the UK and America' (Shaun Hinds, Newbury CEO) Yes, and - dare one suggest - one from which the weaker party in each case needs to find an exit strategy.

Just tried giving feedback to the Gambling Commission. Their online form refused it: "We can't accept this, as we are unable to verify that you are human". Considering this utterly bizarre organisation tells us that "affordability checks don't exist", I'm hardly surprised they think I don't, either.

Good to see jumps racing back at Windsor, with another unique configuration to add to British racing's matchless variety - this is left-handed, except for a right-hand dog leg into the home straight, making for interesting tactics (Cobden outfoxing De Boinville in the opener, methinks).

www.racingpost.com/news/interna... It's interesting that despite the much greater prizes in Japan, their top 2yo races are hardly worth more than ours. This=£396,313, Dewhurst=£299,854. Not the quantum difference we find in 3yo+ events, and a different philosophy, less geared to the juvenile year.

www.racingpost.com/news/opinion... Yet another "my mate brought his teenage son to the races, and the kid was bored, so we need to jazz racing up" scripts. By all means infantilise racing, if that floats your boat. Better question: how can BHA make racing appeal to an older, wealthier core audience?

I felt Caldwell Potter travelled like the best horse in the race yesterday, with a lovely stride on him and pin-point precise jumping, until he got outsprinted. But ... does the horse need to go back to 2m (as the trainer said) or up to 3m. Any thoughts?

Today's reply from the Gambling Commission's supremo to just criticism contains Doublespeak to make Orwell's Big Brother blush: 'there are no current “affordability” checks in force and we are not proposing so-called affordability checks. Instead, we are proposing proportionate checks...' Brilliant.

Just as you think things can't get worse at BHA... www.racingpost.com/news/britain... Anyone who saw Dunshea's cringeworthy appearance on Sky News, in defence of racing welfare, will only gawp in disbelief that this anti-whip zealot has (even temporarily) been handed the keys to the castle. Tremble.

Fascinating to compare the traditional thrill of the Porterstown just now, with the pale former "Hennessey" yesterday. Though the race is (just about ) as valuable as it was, its old prestige has seeped away over a couple of years. No USP. Now it's just another Saturday afternoon Big Bookie Chase.

"Thurles, the spiritual home of midweek jump racing in Ireland". Love it. Almost on a level with "Southwell, the spiritual home of Tuesday night all-weather racing in England". www.racingpost.com/news/ireland...

This has shocked me, I must say. R4 Today will not be the same without Mishal Husain. Difficult times for BBC radio. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

If the horse population doesn't match the jumps "pattern", which it doesn't, perhaps some of these "prestigious" Grade 1 conditions races need to be 'magicked' back into handicaps? www.racingpost.com/news/britain...

Goliath's owners take chop-logic re. Arc to a new level: "If fillies are permitted to compete without any assurances regarding their fertility, it appears inconsistent to exclude exceptional horses simply due to being gelded." Alas, there's 100% assurance re. geldings' fertility = guaranteed zero!