Tylicki ruling set to usher in insurance and stewarding upheaval - McPherson

More stewarding decisions referred to the BHA's central London headquarters, rising insurance premiums for jockeys and wider scope for civil litigation are among the changes envisaged by trainer and barrister Graeme McPherson in the wake of the High Court's decision to find in favour of Freddy Tylicki in his claim against Graham Gibbons.

Judge Karen Walden-Smith found Gibbons had satisfied the precedent-established grounds of acting with "reckless disregard" for the safety of his fellow competitor when in November 2016 at Kempton he angled Madame Butterfly back towards the rail, causing the fall of Nellie Deen which left Tylicki with T4 complete paraplegia for life.

As both a trainer – since October he has worked jointly with Fergal O'Brien – and a QC, McPherson was not only one of the most interested observers of the case within the racing community, but is almost uniquely qualified to assess the potential impact the ruling will have in legal and sporting terms.