THE tragic news of the death of Liam Treadwell was announced this week. The shock was felt widely, and not just by the many who knew him well, his family and close friends, but also by the greater racing community.

I sought a number of ways to address this news in this column, struggling to deal with a difficult, but all too common situation, with care. Then along came a call from a friend of this column, Lewis King. He is well known to many professionals in the sport through his work, with others, among the Irish jockeys. He had a clear message to get across.