There is no shortage of talking points this week. Saturday alone gave us plenty of food for thought and the merits or otherwise of the decisions made in the stewards’ rooms in Doncaster and Leopardstown will no doubt rumble on for a while.

The fact that an appeal is being made by the Simple Verse team probably indicates that the St Leger decision could have gone either way. I have listened to many interpretations and each offers a different nuance. No one likes to win or lose a race in these circumstances.

The recent case of the Secret Gesture’s demotion will also come sharply into focus when that appeal is heard this week.

In Ireland, the fact that Free Eagle finished third and not second was a vital component in the decision-making process that led to Golden Horn keeping the race. John Gosden is one of the wise men of racing and his audible sigh of relief said more about the outcome than any words could. The decision may well have been different had the race been contested in France or elsewhere.

Last Friday night two members of the panel at the International Thoroughbred Breeders’ Federation conference were Sheikh Fahad and Dermot Weld. Less than a day later they were both affected by decisions made by stewards. A key subject discussed on the night was the need for harmonisation on an international scale – and where better to start than with stewarding?

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I must disclose that I know Ed Ware personally and a more affable guy you would find it hard to meet. That said, I feel he made a great deal of sense this week when speaking about the support that betting firms should give to racing in Britain, both by means of a voluntary levy and in terms of race sponsorship.

He also sees racing from another angle, that of an owner and he has had his share of success in that sphere, owning Group 2 winner Allied Powers with the 32Red chairman David Fish.

I am especially pleased to hear him iterate something I have said many times, publically in this column and privately too. The only way forward for racing is for every stakeholder to play their part, pay their way and look at the bigger picture. Rugby still remains for me the near-perfect example of what can be achieved by virtue of everyone keeping their eye on the ball.