THE rumblings of another horse welfare debate almost began earlier in the week after it emerged in that the popular chaser Big Fella Thanks had not recovered from an injury he sustained in a hunter chase at Cheltenham in early May. He had been put down after running in five races last season as a 15-year-old.

The real issue seemed to be that the death was not made known at the time, implying some sort of concealment, and therefore guilt.