Ronan McNally case a brave new frontier for integrity? We all know it won't be

If the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board's unequivocal treatment of Ronan McNally and his co-conspirators marks a line in the sand that represents a newfound rigour when it comes to integrity, an enormous can of worms has been opened.

Does anyone believe that to be the case? Hardly, which is why it feels like an opportunistic evisceration of small fish in a barrel while the big sharks roam the open sea untouched.

Based on the evidence that we all saw with our own eyes, few would argue that McNally did not have a case to answer. As for the evidence presented by the IHRB in its final report on the case, in terms of incriminating material, we're still left wondering.