Getting governance right is the prerequisite for any industry strategy to work

It would be fair to say that when the BHA issued its communique following last week's two-day strategy summit, the reaction was not universally favourable. "Is that it?" would describe the response of some of the critics, although it would also be fair to say that some of the expectations of what would emerge from the meeting were unrealistic.

Expecting the 18 assembled industry figures to emerge blinking into a London September afternoon with a detailed blueprint for British racing's future over the next ten years would have been unfair. That they were able to agree to some general objectives that could then be worked upon by the BHA's newly formed strategy department was about as far as could be reasonably expected.

Even the Keep Owners In Racing group, one of the more trenchantly outspoken critics of the sport's leadership, was prepared to admit there had been a degree of progress as it reacted to what had been outlined.