Dr. Lynn Hillyer:

There is absolutely no crossover between what we do as an executive and, for example, the board or members. It might be worth mentioning that I come from a background of having worked in an independent regulatory authority in the form of the Jockey Club before it became part of the BHA. I support wholeheartedly the concept of an independent regulator. It is crucial.

As Mr. Egan said, there are experts in the form of members and stewards who benefit the organisation. However, I need to be crystal clear that they have absolutely nothing to do with our disciplinary or regulatory processes, or our processing or knowledge of cases. There is no knowledge of cases. The first a member will hear of a case is when it is presented to the referrals panel. That will usually be the first time the board will hear about it.

The only time the board will be made aware of such a matter is if it has already been processed, investigated, documented and catalogued. The board is made aware of a case if it has a particular profile or has a particular significance that it needs know about. The Zilpaterol event was something the board clearly needed to be briefed on.