Caulfield hopes security review will counter `years of mistrust'.

Byline: Howard Wright 

JOCKEYS' ASSOCIATION chief executive Michael Caulfield has said he is looking forward to the Jockey Club

wiping away "years of mistrust and lack of knowledge" by implementing major

recommendations to strengthen its

security department.

Commenting on the Security Review Group report, which was unveiled on Tuesday, he said: "We particularly welcome recommendations that would

improve the culture, openness and

administration of the department.

"It's vital that its members have the support and trust of the industry.

Unfortunately from our standpoint, trust, knowledge and communication have been missing in recent years, when the

department seemed to be directed wholly on the basis of rumour and innuendo.

"Thank goodness Ben Gunn and his team have spotted the faults, and

highlighted them in their report."

Caulfield said he regarded confirmation of his view that racing could be proud of its integrity record as the other key finding. He added: "The review has emphatically concluded that the allegations of recent years were unsubstantiated.

"I continue to believe that British

racing is the fairest and straightest in the world, due to the decency of the partici-pants and the work carried out by the regulatory authority."

However, Caulfield said one significant area had been overlooked, in the

report's failure to recommend that racehorse owners should be barred from laying their own horses on betting exchanges.

"New messages are going out to

people in racing these days, and it's inviting trouble to let owners lay their horses to lose, even if it's only to the cost of a packet of crisps," he said.

"The owner calls the shots, and if they say they're laying horses to cover their

expenses, they shouldn't be in the business."

Publication of the report has cleared the way for the Jockey Club to appoint a new director of security. The post has been

vacant since Jeremy Phipps resigned in the wake of the critical Panorama programme.

Finding a successor will be one of the first tasks overseen by new senior steward Julian Richmond-Watson, who said the process would be formally approved by the Jockey Club regulatory board on July 14.

He added: "As recommended by the

review group, the process will involve an open advertisement, followed by transparent selection. And I anticipate the successful candidate will be charged with overseeing the implementation of the report's recommendations."