In October 2009 Money-Market.com had the following to say about Centaur Global and the managing director, Keith Sobey:

“In today’s depressed investing climate, anything that makes money gets attention. But something that appears to offer consistent annual returns of 50 per cent or more to investors may raise suspicions – especially if it is connected with betting. That was the case with Centaur Global’s investment. However, having met Centaur Global’s chairman and managing director Keith Sobey I can state that Bernie Madoff he ain’t.”

Seven years earlier in The Karl Dennis Raceletter readers were warned to avoid Sobey and his racing schemes, including Fantastic Forecasts and Centaur Racing.

Sobey threatened the writer, Karl Dennis, with legal action. He put a telephone message out to his clients calling the magazine editor a scumbag. Strangely, despite all his threats, that legal action never materialised.

Ten years later the warning from Karl Dennis has hit home as Centaur Holdings go into administration owing a reputed £1.6m.

He`s been here for just over a week now and what Australian Paul Bittar must make of British racing is anybodies guess. The new chief executive of the British Horseracing Authority has taken over at a time when the sport is suffering from the recession, when there is much debate and strong feeling about the use of the whip and yet when the winter jumping season has never been in better health. Still, he can’t be worse than Paul Roy was!

It was just an ordinary race at Kempton Park held on a cool Wednesday evening yet once again it showed why a lot of punters are getting absolutely fed up with flat racing.

Dark Ranger was made the favourite and on the evidence of the form book, justifiably so. At 3/1 he represented a bit of a value bet for many as he should probably been about 6/4. And he may well have been but for one reason – the Jamie Spencer factor.

I must start with apologies to former British Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli, who had he been alive today would no doubt have been intrigued at the recent antics of Betfair, who once again have shown total disregard for the punters, the people who pay the wages. Not for the first time the company has declined to tell the truth and is hiding behind what can probably be best described as a web of lies.

Ryan Moore is not my favourite jockey, not because I don’t rate him as a rider but because I find his attitude and his unwillingness to communicate with the media rather tiresome. However, I can reveal that behind the scenes negotiations have more or less concluded a deal that will see him leaving Michael Stoute and joining the Coolmore operation of Aiden O’Brien next flat season.

I have probably surprised a few people by not – until now – making any comment about the changes to the whip rules. Personally I thought the changes were unnecessary and yet another example of how our spineless leaders had given in to societies do-gooders. But I refrained from commenting and decided to watch and wait. I am so glad I did, but even I have to admit that I have been surprised at the total inability of the BHA leaders to handle the situation that they have created. I’ve always known they’re not very bright, that they lacked leadership skills, that they did not understand racing in any shape or form and that they were a disaster waiting to happen. After all, I have highlighted this so many times in the past and used so many examples.

But I was wrong! None of the things I have mentioned in the past have come anywhere near the total lack of vision or understanding of this situation.

Paul Roy and his cronies should be congratulated on somehow finding it possible to stoop to depths previously unknown in their reign as Kings of British horse racing. It truly beggars belief and this is why!

So then, Aintree has given in to the do-gooders brigade and effectively destroyed the race from what it once was. Easier fences and Bechers Brook will never be the same again. Well that’s my view, although talking with Jim Sutton, he puts a different point of view.