DID you hear the one about the jockey punching the head of a horse? No? Where have you been…?

Dear Davy: why didn’t you just say I’m sorry, I did wrong, it wasn’t right? End it there.

Dear Denis: why did the Turf Club not see that it was wrong to attempt to thump a horse and not issue a few days’ ban? End it then.

Dear Davy: why did you not take it more seriously and were you fully honest? Was it a thump in frustration? It didn’t look good.

Dear Denis: why, after making the decision to issue just a caution, did the Turf Club need to revisit the initial sanctions of the incident?

The GAA, for all that their disciplinary procedures can be less than ideal, still stick to their guns.

Have we not heard enough about Tramore last Friday week?

We have our sport dragged into a needless ‘welfare’ debate. Russell was wrong, the Turf Club were wrong not to issue a suspension or fine, but it wasn’t ‘appalling’ or even a big “welfare issue” that the RSPCA and ISPCA implied.

Three weekends is far too long to have Russell-gate and horse punching on the racing agenda.