The Benvenuto Cellini episode is teaching punters to behave like spoiled children - and that's unwise

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What kind of punter do we want to be following our sport in the future? That's a question that nags at me after the Derby palaver over the weekend, when the favourite was declared a non-runner despite the fact that we all saw him running.

In my mind, the ideal punter would, among other qualities, be robust enough to take responsibility for their own decisions. Whether they like to analyse a race for hours or just take a swing based on their gut feeling, they should be sufficiently mature to accept defeat when it comes, as it often will.

I'm not saying they can't moan about it. Jeez, that's half the fun. Front Runner readers know, by this stage, that the Monday after a big race is mostly for moaning.

But what you don't do, without exceptionally good cause, is ask for your money back just because the ball didn't bounce your way. I mean, have some pride, for the love of God. Find some dignity if you can.

You threw your money in with the rest of us. You hoped to get a chunky return. It didn't happen. Back to work.

• Benvenuto Cellini non-runner Derby call blasted as 'extraordinary act of self-sabotage' by bookie chief - but BHA backs its stewards 
• BHA stresses Benvenuto Cellini non-runner call 'most extreme test of rule' and does not set dangerous precedent   
• 'Horseracing's capacity to shoot itself in the foot never lets us down' - readers' views on the contentious Benvenuto Cellini call 

That's the philosophy of racing's ideal punter, I reckon. The sport needs people who are comfortable with the idea that losing bets are the price of their entertainment. If you have enough of those people, you can hope to part-fund the sport with the proceeds of betting.

But decisions like the one on Saturday guide punters away from that helpfully stoic view of the world. It teaches them that, even when they pick a loser, sometimes they still deserve to get their cash returned – because they've been unlucky in some way, or some sort of quasi-injustice has been identified.

It spares them from the consequences of their decisions. It rewards them, even though no reward has been earned. It treats them, in other words, like spoiled children. And so, over time, they may come to behave like spoiled children.

In the case of Benvenuto Cellini, the reason for stakes being returned seems weak. As he stood in the stalls, he raised a hind leg and rested it on a narrow ledge, seconds before the gates opened, with the result that he was slowly away.

No one blundered. No one was to blame. No piece of equipment failed to operate as it should. The Derby favourite made things difficult for himself, because he's a horse and his understanding is limited.

Does British racing intend to establish this as a general principle, that stakes should be returned when horses trip themselves up? It would be useful to know because calls from punters for refunds will only increase, now that a huge number of Derby bets have been repaid so surprisingly.

Ryan Moore: walks back to the weighing room after Benvenuto Cellini's no showCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

With the sport's health in mind, I think it would have been wiser to establish the principle that horses can do unexpected and unhelpful things which undermine their chances, and that punters should bear that in mind when placing their bets. As risks go, it is at the margins. Most of the time, the reason you lost is because you picked the wrong horse.

Benvenuto Cellini backers picked the wrong horse. He appeared to travel kindly downhill into the straight but, from that point, his effort was short-lived. The ground probably did not suit.

If I'd backed him, I'd be sick about what happened at the start. But, after watching the race, I'd have a hard time believing he was ever going to finish in the first three, even if he broke smartly and got a handy position. That early effort might have led to him checking out at the three pole instead of the two.

Those who got their stakes back must be giddy with disbelief. Will they feel increased goodwill towards racing? It would be nice to think so but I don't think people work like that. 

Much more likely, they will laugh at an industry that gives away huge sums unexpectedly. Even when people have reaped significant financial benefit, they know a mistake when they see one. And, of course, anyone who had a Rule 4 deduction taken out of their winnings will have been infuriated.

This image shows where Benvenuto Cellini's hind leg was caught in the stalls

I can't help feeling that Saturday's decision, and the decision to write the rule which led to it, must have been made by people who never really had much fondness for betting. If any experienced punter had been consulted at the time the rule was written, or by the stewards on Saturday, they would surely have responded: "Oh God, don't do that!"

Back in September, I reported some soothing words from the BHA, who pointed out the rule in question had, at that point, been in place for 16 months and only been used about six times.

I wrote: "In other words, it's a rule that makes no noticeable difference to anyone until one day, out of a blue sky, it mucks everything up and sets us all at each other's throats."

Well, ta-da!

Anyway, it was a fun Derby to watch, for all that I got it utterly wrong. I ended up watching it on the big screen at Cambridge services and was chuffed to find it being shown there. I'd expected to be looking at the race on my phone.

Even with a screen of that size, the murkiness of Saturday's weather at Epsom made it tricky to tell whether I was seeing Maltese Cross or Pierre Bonnard. Possibly my mince pies need checking.

A favourite who never got involved, confusion over identities and a surprising winner - it was a bit like watching an old Grand National. Good fun, but I wouldn't bet on the form holding up. I'll happily give chances to some of the disappointing runners next time.

You might recall in Friday's Front Runner that I was expecting the track to dry out. It reminded me that my Derby tip last year was based on a forecast of rain which never turned up. What I need is a bookie who refunds in cases of unpredictable weather.

Perhaps a wise man only bets ten minutes before the off. But at that point on Saturday, I was still slogging along the A14. 

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Read these next:

Benvenuto Cellini non-runner Derby call blasted as 'extraordinary act of self-sabotage' by bookie chief - but BHA backs its stewards  

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From the Derby winner to Constitution River - a weekend in the life of 'guilty and lucky' Ronan Whelan  

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