THIS week’s racing hero in Britain is undoubtedly Roderick Duncan, and his candid discussion of how he suffered a breakdown last year should cause many of us to sit up and take note. Duncan, clerk of the course at Doncaster and Southwell, spoke of how the pressure of his job, and in particular the tendency of industry participants to blame him for perceived failings, caused him to become obsessed with that job to the detriment of his mental health.

He spoke of situations where he had to face angry trainers and jockeys, detailing how being upbraided in public undermined his authority. It’s clear that while the situations he speaks of represent unacceptable behaviour from those who vented their anger at him, there is a palpable sense that a lot of people are close to the end of their tethers because of demands made on them, and this spills over into criticism of those who are simply in the line of fire.