Runners and riders saddled for FOBT stakes

At last, the government has made its announcement and we now know the maximum stakes on fixed odds betting terminals will be cut from £100.

However, that is as much as we do know for definite, other than the next 12 weeks will be filled by intense lobbying and increasingly heated debate over the controversial machines.

A year on from what was already a delayed start to the supposedly triennial review of stakes and prizes, there are four runners and riders in the FOBT stakes, although we will not find out who has won until some point after a 12-week consultation ending on January 23.