Handling of Scott case only aids claims racing doesn't take welfare seriously enough

Sometimes you just wish racing and its regulatory bodies would help themselves. The Irish contingent's latest instalment in an exhaustive catalogue of self-inflicted harm came via the Sunday Independent's revelation that Homer Scott had surrendered his licence to the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board after a Department of Agriculture-led investigation raised significant concerns about equine welfare issues at the dual Cheltenham Festival-winning trainer's Lisheen Stud.

There are clearly complexities that we are not privy to, but because Scott was not invited before an independent referral panel and because the IHRB is unwilling to furnish the public – which funds its integrity department via Horse Racing Ireland to the tune of €15.9 million annually – with details means we have to work with the information that is available to us.

The most compelling aspect to hand is the testimony of Michelle Shannon and David Mooney, who spoke in the Sunday Independent about Scott's alleged neglect and maltreatment of mares in his care. Shannon spent seven years working for Scott, so you would imagine she would have a fair idea of what went on there.