Racing's positive response to some disturbing news indicates the sport has learned a vital lesson

For all that British racing so often appears to move from one crisis to another, there is much more in the sport that is good than bad. There can be no doubt what we learned on Wednesday about sexual misconduct and bullying was very bad indeed. The collective response, pleased to report, was very good. It absolutely needed to be.

In recent years too many elements in and around racing have adopted an unhelpful 'us and them' attitude. In one sense that can be seen in regular misleading accusations that in pursuing sometimes controversial strategies on welfare and the whip, the sport's leaders are seeking to appease the unappeasable. 

In reality, the aim is surely to convince, persuade and satisfy the much bigger constituency of people who frequent the middle ground, those who could potentially move from a position of disinterested ambivalence to one of helpful support or dangerous opposition.