BOTH Bryony Frost and Robbie Dunne both returned to action in the last seven days after the much debated bullying investigations last season which resulted in Dunne being banned for 18 months but reduced to 10 months on appeal.

Dunne’s statement that “it’s time to draw a long line under it all and leave the past where it belongs” might be admirable but it’s unlikely to appease a lot of people. What is in the public domain may or not be the full account but none of it reflected well on Dunne.

Lines were drawn and strong opinions formed. Dunne’s comment that “I’m truly sorry for the unfortunate incident at Southwell,” left other elements over a longer period glossed over.

Brian Barker QC said at the hearing that Dunne was guilty of “distasteful targeting, deliberate harassment on and off track, and occasional cases of dangerous bullying”.

“I just want to get on with my riding career and support my fiancee Katie and my lovely young daughter Ava-Mae,” he said this week. You kind of hope that she never has to be subjected to some of the language her father saw fit to use in the course of his job.