Televised inquiries engage viewers, but why can't we hear from the key players?

Compared to some other jurisdictions, British racing deserves credit for its policy of broadcasting stewards' inquiries on major ITV racedays.

The prospect of cameras entering Irish stewards' rooms via terrestrial broadcaster RTE was discussed in recent years, but jockeys opposed the move despite the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board agreeing to the proposal.

Whether there is actually substantial value in having input from riders in inquiries is debatable – referees don't ask footballers or rugby players for their opinion of an incident before brandishing them with a red card – but televised stewards' room exchanges so often make for intriguing viewing.