'We've become more about prevention than rescuing people when they're in crisis'

It was a chap called Dougie, one of Racing Welfare's many beneficiaries, who ventured perhaps the simplest and most telling insight into the problems staring racing squarely in the face.

Dawn Goodfellow, chief executive of the sport's most wide-ranging charitable organisation, recalls it well: "He said that as a member of stable staff you would pick up in an instant if something was wrong with your horse, but you could work alongside somebody for months and never spot a problem or ask if there was anything wrong." And she pauses to let the message sink in.

"There's a culture in racing, and has been for a long time, that you've got to be tough to survive, that you've got to just get on with the job, no matter what, and we've started some conversations around that, which I'm really proud of."