Altior controversy should jolt regulators into life over inside information

The row over Altior's non-participation in Saturday's Unibet-sponsored Silviniaco Conti Chase shows little sign of going away even as declarations approach. This is unsurprising, as it touches on so many concerns in the sport that sit just below the surface. This is another take on the matter, as it is felt that perhaps the primary concern of punters has not yet been addressed.

The rights and wrongs of a bookmaker being able to break market-sensitive information have been well covered, not least by Richard Forristal in Thursday's Racing Post. Most of this has dealt with how bad trainer-bookmaker relationships look on the surface, missing the opportunity to take tangible action.

Unibet voided all bets on Altior, which to give them their due was to clear the bar on appropriate action, albeit only just. Bookmakers did not derive any great benefit from this mess. It was not even the case that Unibet had shown the unique benefit of having their card marked in advance of the announcement. Other firms saw money for Altior's stablemate Top Notch too.