Time to clean up Gotham after The Ridler’s dramatic Norfolk heist at Royal Ascot

Here we go again.

One wag suggested The Joker must have been chairing the stewarding panel after Paul Hanagan careened his way to victory in Thursday’s Norfolk Stakes – barging several rivals out of his way as he did so – but to those who say it was a disgrace to allow the result to stand I say this.

Did you not see Kevin Stott burying John Berry’s Dereham on the stand rail at Ponte last year or Ray Dawson doing nothing to stop Believe In Love jamming Urban Artist and Glenartney up in similar fashion on his way to victory in York’s G3 Bronte Cup last month?

Those two cases were very similar to the Norfolk. Not only were the results allowed to stand on by the raceday panels, they were also upheld after connections of the sufferers appealed on the grounds that their chances of winning had been compromised by dangerous riding on the winner.

In short, the only way that The Ridler could have been taken down yesterday was by the Ascot panel - led by South African Shaun 'Big Unit' Parker - veering as far off the established path of BHA precedent as Paul did on Richard Fahey’s second consecutive Norfolk winner.

‘But the winner was 1.38 to keep it once the Inquiry was called’ is the cry from the Betfair enclosure.

Yes, that’s what happens (albeit briefly until logic and hard cash prevail) as bookies and punters scramble to balance the book when a 50/1 shot hampers a hot favourite on a massive day. There was no real riddle as to whether The Ridler would keep the race and what happened next was fascinating and predictable.

Global annoyance reached new heights as punters and pros expressed bafflement, with renowned American-based rider Rajiv Maragh Tweeting that he was “extremely disappointed by horse racing being embarrassed by not DQ of that horse” and shiny-toppered SSR sage Kevin Blake arguing that “if that sort of thing happened in Hong Kong or Australia you’d be dealing with bans in months not days because that sort of riding simply isn’t considered acceptable."

For the record, HK Chief Stipe Kim Kelly reports that a similar incident at Sha Tin would have resulted in the Norfolk result standing with a ban of between four and six weeks for reckless riding designed to deter others from the win-at-all-costs mentality.

But the grim irony of Blake delivering his verdict while working right next to Freddie Tylicki – a man whose life was changed forever by another rider's reckless disregard for his safety - should not be lost on a single soul who cares about the safety of racing in this country.

And now is surely the time to turn up the heat on this.

Yes, history suggests that this debate will rumble on for a short while – it may even trigger another ill-fated appeal – and then go quiet before the whole sorry cycle begins again when a rider takes out rivals to secure victory in another major race.

The BHA are clearly not minded to alter their stance and will not budge unless punters, industry professionals and sensible media figures sustain pressure on them to do so. But, when their Ascot week wash-up meeting convenes, they will surely know that what Hanagan did in the Norfolk does not come under the true definition of careless riding.

The Oxford Dictionary defines careless as "not giving enough attention and thought to what you are doing, so that you make mistakes."

Paul has been a positive presence for many years now. I like and admire him as a person as much as any rider I know. But he didn’t make a mistake on The Ridler. He did a swift mental calculation about how best to hit the line first and went for it without hesitation knowing he would keep the race and get some family time during early July for his sins.

Winners are grinners, as the Aussies say, but what comes next is vital.

A shift in the rules to re-define examples such as yesterday’s as dangerous riding is any price you care to name. But the BHA revisited the rules over horses getting left at the start with hoods on after the Stunning Beauty incident at last year’s Royal Ascot and this case could be a much more significant watershed.

It’s only right that historic institutions evolve over time and, shock of all shocks, the formerly musty old Ascot grandees are allowing gentlemen to remove jackets, ties and hats as temperatures soar on Friday.

But, joking apart, the BHA are most unlikely to move on up unless they are pushed. And so the only solution is to keep on pushin'.

Even Batman couldn’t have brought The Ridler to justice under the current British system. But there's no question the time to clean up Gotham is overdue.

And inserting a clause in the careless riding rules that states: ‘The Stewards reserve the right to demote or disqualify any horse whose rider puts the safety of other horses and riders in serious jeopardy’ would be a huge move in the right direction both for the welfare of combatants and the interests of owners, trainers, fans and punters.

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