What a difference a year makes - certainly in racing politics

Comparing and contrasting what was said at this week's Racehorse Owners Association annual meeting with presentations from the event 12 months ago goes to show a lot can happen in 12 months.

When Nicholas Cooper delivered his maiden speech as ROA president in 2016 he made a few pointed comments, including his anticipation of what should happen after the government introduced its reforms of the levy system.

Cooper said the sport could look forward to the creation of a Racing Authority which would distribute funds raised from the levy "without the sort of bookmaker involvement that has so illogically been pivotal to the levy system for the past 60 years".