Nathan Taylor, the ex-BHA staffer seeking to help those under investigation

The Front Runner is our morning email exclusively for Members' Club Ultimate subscribers, written today by Chris Cook and available here as a free sample.

Subscribers can get more great insight, tips and racing chat from The Front Runner every Monday to Friday. Those who aren't yet signed up for The Front Runner should click here to sign up and start receiving emails immediately!

Not a Members' Club Ultimate subscriber? Click here to join today and also receive our Ultimate Daily emails plus our full range of fantastic website and newspaper content.

There's a new player in the mini-industry that has grown up around racing's disciplinary process. Nathan Taylor, whose experience includes six years working as an investigator at the BHA, has now set up on his own, offering "to assist those who are being investigated by sports regulatory bodies".

His aim is to work across all sports and he tells the Front Runner he has already been working on a couple of football cases. But he has a great deal of experience in racing and hopes he will be able to use it. He believes he is the only person currently ploughing this particular furrow.

His website, which details a long history of work in the police, includes a testimonial from Harry Fry, who says: "Nathan is meticulous in his approach and the consummate professional". Fry confirms he provided the quote, having come across Taylor while the latter was at the BHA.

"Owners, trainers and jockeys have been very receptive," Taylor says of the response to his plan, which will be to assist from the very first moment that a participant learns they are the subject of an investigation. He doesn't share details of his rates but tells me he will be cheaper and more immediately active than the average solicitor who might be hired in such a situation.

A key bit of advice he offers is to seek help right away. "Investigations, for those being investigated, usually start with an interview," he says. "Most people I dealt with [while at the BHA] were not represented at interview. You need to have that sort of advice straight away.

"It's important to stress that you don’t have to commit to an interview straight away. The BHA allows at least 28 days to attend.

"I don't think people realise the consequences of what may happen. They just think these things will go away or it'll be a minimum fine."

He cites the recent example of Danny Brock, banned for 15 years after an inquiry in which he declined to take part. Brock has since lost his licence to train greyhounds, a consequence he did not anticipate.

Taylor feels he could have made some headway, had he been engaged to assist the ex-jockey. "There were basic inquiries I would have made which could have really helped or at the least been enough to provide mitigation."

Danny Brock: banned for 15 yearsCredit: Edward Whitaker

BHA cases can take a very long time to reach a final hearing. The Brock case was an extreme example, the verdict being delivered more than four years after the first of the races involved. A case involving John Gosden concluded in November after two years. Another involving Richard Guest took three years.

Taylor urges that an effective defence is best mounted on the solid foundations of early investigation and counsels against leaving all the preliminary spadework to the BHA. The quality of evidence can deteriorate quickly over time, as can the willingness of potential witnesses to get involved.

"If you speak to someone 18 months down the line, you get: 'Oh, I can't remember. Has that not gone away?'

"You need to hit it early, act early and get that evidence. Compared to counter-terrorism and major crime investigations, regulatory inquiries are not complicated. I can get the evidence secured, provenanced and documented in hours. These things shouldn’t be taking weeks. Best evidence is gathered at the time."

Taylor has plenty of sympathy for his former colleagues at the BHA, who he says include some "terrific people". He acknowledges they face an immense task in policing the sport's integrity and that they have limited investigatory powers.

But those limitations mean that, in his eyes, there is little excuse for cases to drag on as long as some do. When I ask him for one bit of advice he might offer the BHA, he says they should improve the timeliness of their investigations.

"There is no regulatory job that, from commencement of an investigation to hearing, needs to last longer than a year, in my opinion. The BHA should introduce self-imposed time limits on investigations, similar to summary-only offences in the magistrate’s court, where charges have to be laid within six months of an offence. I’d alter that to laying charges within six months of an investigation beginning.

"These cases are going on forever and you cannot underestimate the toll that can take on people ... the never-ending, 'When's it going to come?' Unfortunately, there are occasions when people think that lack of contact means the matter has gone away.

"And be accountable. If you’ve made a mistake, own that mistake. We have a government that has made plausible deniability an art form. I’d hate to see that type of attitude transferring to other authoritative bodies."

I shared Taylor's points with the BHA and a spokesperson responded: "The BHA seeks to ensure all investigations are concluded in a timely manner and takes seriously its duty of care to all those affected by such proceedings.

"Each case must be approached on its own merits as no two scenarios present identical circumstances. These investigations are complex, require legal rigour and inevitably take time. Factors that can extend investigations include affected individuals seeking legal advice, the availability of counsel for hearings and the availability of the disciplinary panel.

"A backlog of cases built up during the pandemic, when a large number of staff were on furlough. The BHA team has worked tirelessly to bring all but a small number of those to their conclusion.

"Any suggestion that the BHA does not treat investigations with due urgency and attention is categorically untrue."

Monday's picks

Mel Rowley, whose fame suddenly increased last month when she won the Veterans Final with Wishing And Hoping, has a live runner in the staying handicap chase at Carlisle. Key Commander (3.15) hacked up in a Thurles handicap chase at the end of 2020, triggering questions from the stewards about the improved form, and he has run to a similar level on a couple of subsequent occasions.

His former yard has been a bit quiet over the past couple of years but Key Commander ran his best race for a year on his debut for Rowley when third at Hereford three weeks ago, looking as though a more galloping circuit would suit. The eight-year-old gets his chance to prove that theory here and is a general 16-1.

In fairness, Post Chaise is the right favourite. His run will end at some point but I'll be saving on a forecast with Key Commander behind Post Chaise.

Earlier, Paddy's Fancy (2.45) looks well placed to take advantage of the 12lb four-year-old allowance in a handicap hurdle, having gone so well on her handicap debut at Plumpton last week. That was a mares race but it looked like she bumped into a very progressive winner and she has more to offer while the weather's dry.

Richard Birch fancies three from Monday's action. 

Three things to look out for today . . .

1.  Four winners this month (from 13 starters) makes February one of the two best months that Anthony Honeyball has had in the past year. Gabriel's Getaway contributed when he scored on his chasing debut at Taunton a couple of weeks ago and he is the yard's only runner today at Lingfield. An 11lb rise is not to be taken lightly but he fully earned that with the ease of his recent success and this six-year-old should again appreciate the decent ground.

2.  A winner at Chelmsford last week was a fair way for Oisin Murphy to return to action and a valuable Group 3 in Doha was a reasonable encore. But you know for sure that it's business as usual for a jockey when he takes six rides at Newcastle on a Monday night. That's what Murphy's up to today, the aim surely being to re-establish alliances and build connections that will help him towards another championship when the turf season starts. He rides for five different trainers, including Jedd O'Keeffe, who runs new arrival Green Planet after the horse didn't take to jump racing with Alan King. Later, Murphy rides King Carney, once a Derby candidate with Charlie Fellowes, now with Rebecca Menzies and wearing a tongue tie for the first time.

3. Canberra Legend is a potentially significant debutant in the mile novice race at Newcastle. The colt is an Australia half-brother to Youth Spirit, who won the Chester Vase a couple of years ago and took his chance in Adayar's Derby. Trained by James Ferguson, Canberra Legend is entered in the Derby, though obviously he would need to show up very well here for that to remain a live consideration. His rivals include the King Power-owned My Duty, a half-brother to four winners in Ireland, including Epona Plays, who won a Group 2.

Read these next:

An ante-post outsider to back on each day of the Cheltenham Festival 

'He's definitely one of our best chances' - Gordon Elliott on his Cheltenham team 

Festival subscription offer | 50% off three months 

The Front Runner is our latest email newsletter available exclusively to Members' Club Ultimate subscribers. Chris Cook, a four-time Racing Reporter of the Year award winner, provides his take on the day's biggest stories and tips for the upcoming racing every morning from Monday to Friday. Not a Members' Club Ultimate subscriber? Click here to join today and also receive our Ultimate Daily emails plus our full range of fantastic website and newspaper content.