Panorama and me

"The BBC reporters were desperate to know about how the Jockey Club have policed racing over the years and I didn't want to get involved in that."

Panorama won a notable victory over the Jockey Club in the High Court recently. The court relaxed the terms of an injunction and allowed the BBC to utilise material gathered by the Jockey Club's former head of security, Roger Buffham.

The information included documents relating to Wright, Bradley and his former weighing room colleague Dermot Browne, but Bradley is adamant that their evidence is "very dubious". "I'm not worried about having to defend myself, but I am worried that Panorama are relying so heavily on two witnesses who have both been discredited - and that's very disheartening," he added.

"Roger Buffham has broken the confidentiality agreement he signed when he left the Jockey Club in acrimonious circumstances-while Dermot Browne is unreliable in my opinion."

The precise content of the BBC programme remains a secret but it will certainly probe Bradley's connection with Wright.

Also under the spotlight will be Bradley's role as a witness in a major drugs trial at Southampton Crown Court in which various members of the gang allegedly led by Wright received lengthy jail sentences.

At the trial, Bradley admitted providing Wright with what was described as "privileged and sensitive information" via a mobile phone from the weighing room at various racecourses.

"I realise that the Jockey Club will want to question me on that, but I'm hopeful of fighting the charges off as the things that have been reported about what was said at the trial are definitely not accurate," he said.

"My friendship with Brian Wright was never a secret, but had I known he was an alleged drug smuggler I would never have had anything to do with him."

The Panorama broadcast could also include a new perspective on the two-runner chase at Warwick six years ago in which Bradley's mount Man Mood started 4-7 favourite before being pulled up at the 12th fence.

Buffham was frustrated when William Hill refused to disclose details of punters who had won on the race on the grounds of client confidentiality.

Hills spokesman David Hood claims his firm came under "tremendous pressure" to co-operate with the Panorama investigators earlier this year and fielded "10 or 12 calls in a day" from one reporter.

"It soon became apparent that they knew nothing about the way the betting industry works and weren't interested in learning about it," added Hood.

"We declined a pre-recorded interview because we didn't know how it would be edited, but we have provided a statement which clarifies our position with regard to the confidentiality of our clients."

Thus far, the Jockey Club have kept public comments over Panorama to a minimum, though its PR director John Maxse has welcomed the news that a date for the programme has been set and is hoping it provides "a fair and objective study of the matter."

Other matters liable to be covered in the investigation centre around letters from the bookmaker Victor Chandler allegedly offering free bets to high-profile trainers such as Jimmy Fitzgerald and Gay Kelleway.

A report from the Hong Kong Jockey Club could also spell trouble for two leading Flat jockeys who have ridden in the Far East, while a report from Greater Manchester Police about "Operation Shantung" outlines the way in which Triad gangsters based in the north west infiltrated racing.