Cornelius Lysaght column

By Cornelius Lysaght
BBC racing correspondent

Cumani has complained about the BHA's plan

Racehorse trainers need to tread carefully in their row with the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) over one particular aspect of the effort to thwart corruption in racing.

The trainers are furious about the BHA's insistence that they take part in an education programme about what constitutes inside information.

Like jockeys, they must attend a short seminar or - unlike jockeys -study online modules. This is to become a condition of their licences being granted.

Flat racing trainer Luca Cumani talked about being treated "rather like we're all schoolboys", while champion jumps trainer Paul Nicholls described it as "a joke".

Charlie Mann says, defiantly, that he has already booked a disciplinary hearing, while Nigel Twiston-Davies suggested that the BHA must think that "we're all thick".

The National Trainers' Federation is supporting its members' stand, although it played at least some part in coming up with the plan in the first place.

The problem for the trainers is that they are all in danger of perpetrating a caricature of racing as a cliquey members-only club, happy to slam the door on "outsiders".

I know some of the trainers and they are not a particularly high-handed bunch - but that's not how it sounds

Whatever they say, corruption - or the potential for it - is as important an issue affecting racing's image in the modern world as any, and it has to be addressed.

It's a difficult area, but the BHA has generally demonstrated itself to be good at dealing with corruption issues (when not involving the police), and deserves to be supported.

For such a powerful constituency within racing as the trainers to be so uncooperative gives the highly damaging impression of complacency.

I know some of them, and they are not a particularly high-handed bunch or uncaring about what the public thinks - but that's not how it sounds.

After conducting a quick straw-poll - admittedly among a highly unscientific selection of non-racing people whom I'm on holiday with - the unanimous verdict was that the trainers sounded arrogant and hopelessly out of touch.

The trainers are probably on a hiding to nothing.

Not only does the requirement from the BHA - the sport's ultimate bosses, remember - not look that unreasonable, but Paul Scotney, its director of integrity services and licensing, is clearly in no mood for compromise.

He told the Racing Post: "In the last five years, the main thing has been the misuse of inside information.

"People have said when they've come up [before a disciplinary hearing] 'I didn't know I was doing wrong', so we are making it mandatory for them to show they understand what the misuse of inside information is.

"They just think that they shouldn't have to do it, but they are going to. We are absolutely adamant about that."