Bookies can be cast as baddies no longer - they're crucial to racing's survival

In a normal year we would be closing in on pantomime season (Oh, yes we would!) and as we know, what every good show needs is a proper baddie.

When it comes to a racing-based panto there are one or two people I can think who could fill the role of arch antagonist pretty well, but more often than not in the last however many years the ultimate villain for many in racing has been the bookmakers (boooo! hisssss!).

It is hardly a startling statement that not everyone in the sport sees eye to eye with the betting industry, and there have been clashes over any number of issues. Yet the coronavirus pandemic has made people look at the world differently and has forged alliances that have the potential to make for a better future. And for the sake of racing and betting, both sides need to continue to be supportive of each other in the months ahead.