'It's a scandal' - winners and losers as racehorse aftercare is transformed

These are encouraging times for those who want to see racing live up to its responsibilities towards the horses at the heart of it all and ensure appropriate care is taken of them when they leave the sport.

Slowly and steadily, minds are being focused and action taken which will enable racing to do better in its provision of aftercare and also, importantly, allow it to show that improved reality to the outside world.

However, the changes being contemplated may produce losers as well as winners. The Horse Welfare Board, established in 2019 to drive forward welfare standards, feels no obligation in principle to sustain those large-scale rehabilitation centres which already exist, the oldest of which has been around for more than 30 years.