FEW would dispute that Graham Bradley has sailed a little too close to the wind over the years and he is still paying the price.

This week, the BHA disciplinary panel published their reasons for not finding him guilty of running his own training operation within the yard of licensed trainer Brendan Powell.

However, in its wording of a statement afterwards, the panel gave the clear impression that it had been a fairly close-run thing, describing Bradley as a man ‘who pushes the limits of what is legitimate’.

That view may well affect the outcome of his application to train, which was originally submitted in May 2013. Among the catalogue of misdemeanours in the past, the most serious brought a five-year ban for selling privileged racing information to convicted drug dealer Brian Wright. Whether Bradley will ever succeed in gaining a licence to train remains to be seen. “I’m just trying to work hard and get on with my life but it seems they’re not comfortable with me at all”, he said.

That just about sums it up and the clear indication is that the BHA still believes Bradley has not acknowledged the seriousness of his previous behaviour. He is now 54 and the application would need to go through quite quickly to see him established and successful in the training ranks. There is no sign at all that the BHA is of a similar mind and they undoubtedly hold all the cards.