Boycott underlines how racing's complex matrix makes mountains out of molehills

The matrix of British racing is so complex that very few people genuinely understand all the nuances. Getting to grips with every detail is a process so labyrinthine that it would be easier, not to mention less time-consuming, to take a Masters degree in cyberspace encryption.

There are far more acronyms in racing than in boxing. The plethora of boxing associations memorably prompted one writer to describe their sum total as “alphabet soup”. Yet if boxing is alphabet soup, racing’s sum total is the combined letters of every known language – including braille and Esperanto. It’s hard to remember what all the acronyms stand for, never mind who they represent.

This perplexing state of affairs came home to roost over the weekend as Arc (Arena Racing Company) responded to the trainers’ boycott of two races at Lingfield last Saturday. The motive was simple enough: trainers were affronted at the poor prize-money and decided not to take part.