Racing: Spence deplores failure to stop splits among turf factions

Christopher Spence, the Senior Steward of the Jockey Club, yesterday spoke of his frustration at what he described as racing's "continuing inability to unite as an industry".

Spence and the Jockey Club have endured a difficult year in the aftermath of screenings of the BBC programmes Kenyon Confronts and Panorama which focussed on corruption in racing. There has also been infighting between factions involved in running the sport.

"As we all share our love and pride of British racing, we make awful fools of ourselves to outsiders, as we continuously fail to achieve the most obvious and simple objectives," Spence said in a speech at the Go Racing In Yorkshire awards lunch.

"I very sincerely believe that the Jockey Club, on the whole and given the tools in its bag, regulates racing honestly, fairly and very well.

"In recent months the spotlight has been placed on the Jockey Club's security and disciplinary functions, but there is, in fact, a great deal more to the Jockey Club's regulatory role.

The Panorama programme, he felt, was "unfair" but conceded it had "undoubtedly damaged both racing and the Jockey Club".

Spence, also a director of the British Horseracing Board, spoke of his dismay at the Office of Fair Trading's investigation into racing. "How on earth did we allow ourselves to get into this position with the OFT?" he said. He concluded with a message to the racecourses to "find a solution to the acrimonious impasse between racecourse and BHB for the good of the sport we all love".

On the track yesterday Poliantas became the highlight of a treble for the jockey Timmy Murphy with a dogged win in the feature contest at Wincanton. The £30,000 Tote Exacta Levy Board Chase was rescued from the ashes of the abandoned First National Bank Gold Cup at Ascot two Saturdays ago.

The race provided a thrilling finish as Poliantas – who was virtually unbacked and drifted from 5-2 to 9-2 – was driven out to record a length and a half success over Golden Goal with Fondmort close behind in third.

Richard Johnson and Thyne Will Tell, who took a crashing fall at the fourth-last fence when going well in front, were none the worse for the tumble. That left Golden Goal in front with Mick Fitzgerald going sweetly just behind on Fondmort. But when Poliantas swept past both between the final two fences neither were able to repel Murphy's mount.

"Poliantas is only five and worth looking after for the future," Paul Nicholls, the winning trainer, said. "I'll run him in the Mid Season Chase at Wincanton on Boxing Day."

* Tony McCoy injured his thumb in a fall at Wincanton and gave up his rides. He is expected to return at Exeter today.