Leading form student and respected punter Dominic Beirne overhauled the antiquated betting system. ''It will be a much fairer system and most kind to the punter,'' Racing NSW chief steward Ray Murrihy said yesterday. He said ''commission agents should be licensed, regulated'' as ''at the moment there is a blurred line between illegal bookmakers and commission agents. The Australian Racing Board has formed a committee to look at it and it involves the stewards.''

Murrihy attended the conference on Monday and Tuesday before returning to head the policing panel at Rosehill yesterday.

On the jockey challenge, Murrihy said ''there should be a cut-off point regarding the betting'' and added ''around 9.30am on race day''. Stewards are concerned inside information regarding a jockey failing to turn up for race rides may lead to a jockey-challenge plunge. Murrihy said stewards would recommend to the ARB that bets wagered on the jockey challenge only include those mounts a rider was paid-up for. ''A jockey picking up rides later in the day due to a rival not fulfilling an engagement should not be taken into account,'' Murrihy said.

At present, private veterinarians are not allowed to treat racehorses on race day but that may change. Strict protocols will be put in place to allow trainers to have their vets treat a horse when necessary. Murrihy said ''early intervention'' was all about ''welfare and early recovery from injuries''. For example, when a horse is galloped on it will now be able to be treated oncourse instead of having to wait until returning to the trainer's stable.

Trainers will soon have to report all relevant procedures administered to a horse. At present, wind operations, bone-chip removals, etc, do not have to be reported, although there is a rule where a trainer has to report to stipes anything that may affect a horse's performance in the week before a race. ''The rule currently is in relation to what's happened in the lead-up to a race,'' Murrihy said. ''Stewards believe it should be mandatory to report things like wind operations and this will be made public.''

Apprentices are set to enjoy extended use of their weight allowance. Under the old rules, a junior outriding part of their claim heads to a meeting the following day with a reduction in claimable weight.

''If the apprentice has been engaged at acceptance time, connections are entitled to think he will claim the allowance he was down for,'' Murrihy said. ''Say one of the [riders] lost their claim today, under the new rule they could still claim at Randwick on Friday and at Rosehill on Saturday because acceptances have been taken.''

Meanwhile, record-breaking Kiwi jockey Lisa Cropp is expected to return to riding by the start of the new year despite suffering a skull fracture in an accident in New Zealand on Tuesday. The 40-year-old suffered a hairline fracture behind her ear in a fall while riding ponies with her daughter. Rumours that the now Victorian-based rider was more seriously injured are incorrect.

with Andrew Eddy