Oisin Murphy has his issues but the BHA is failing him and racing spectacularly

Maybe it was inevitable 2021 would conclude with serious questions hanging over one or other authority. It has been that kind of year.

Roll the clock back to the beginning of March when the BHA was falling over itself to prevent Gordon Elliott from darkening its door for an issue that was outside its jurisdiction at the time.

It couldn’t banish him quick enough, without due process, despite the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board having pledged to deal with the issue promptly. Yet here we are, nine months on, and the BHA has abandoned all of that urgency when it comes to Oisin Murphy.