My main worry at the moment was that I faced a totally different kind of rejection, one that fancy medicines couldn’t prevent.

First thing on Monday morning, I went back to my search for Anton Valance.

I could find no trace of anyone of that name involved in British horse racing.

In desperation, I called Toby Jing, a contact I knew vaguely in the integrity section of the BHA, the British Horseracing Authority, but he wasn’t particularly happy to speak to me.

‘I’ve told you before, Sid,’ he said. ‘I have a duty of confidentiality, so I shouldn’t be speaking to you at all and certainly not on my work phone.’

‘Come on, Toby,’ I implored. ‘I only want to know if you’ve ever heard of someone called Anton Valance.’

‘I’m very sorry,’ he said, not particularly sounding it. ‘You must know that there are now very strict regulations concerning the protection of personal data. The damn General Data Protection Regulations now rule my life. So I can’t tell you.’

‘Even if it means that the integrity of racing is put at risk?’

‘How is it at risk?’ he asked with concern.

‘I don’t know yet. That’s why I need to find Anton Valance.’

He sighed loudly down the line. ‘Sid, I’m afraid I can’t help you. Why don’t you try the TBG, the Thoroughbred Business Guide? They list almost everyone involved in racing.’

‘I’ve tried that. He’s not in there.’

There was a slight pause.

‘Then I’m sorry. My hands are totally tied by GDPR. I would be breaking the law if I said anything to you about any individual without their specific, freely given, plainly worded and unambiguous consent.’

It sounded to me like he’d used that excuse many times previously.

‘All right, but just do me one thing,’ I asked quickly, before he had a chance to disconnect.

‘What’s that?’ There was a degree of suspicion in his tone, and with good reason.

‘There is no need for you to say anything. Then you can’t be breaking the law. I’m simply going to ask you a question. If the answer is no, then hang up immediately. Here goes. Is Anton Valance a BHA-registered jockeys’ agent?’

There was no sound from the other end.

‘Are you still there?’ I asked.

‘Certainly am,’ came the reply.

‘Okay,’ I said. ‘Here’s another.’

‘What’s this? Twenty questions?’

‘Yes,’ I said. ‘And if the answer to any of them is no, you hang up and I lose my turn. So here’s question number two.’ I worked it out carefully in my head. ‘Would you say Mr Valance was untrustworthy?’ I emphasised the ‘un’.

Still no sound.

‘Okay,’ I said again. ‘Question three: Has Valance ever been the subject of a BHA investigation?’

I could hear breathing down the line but nothing else.