The old adage of 'first past the post' won't apply to all racing meetings in future. In a landmark ruling, a jockey and horse no longer have to take to the startline when there are no fellow runners and riders to compete against.

Last week, Yealand took a seemingly hollow in at Haydock as the only horse in the field. That's after his two rivals were withdrawn to the heavy going, leaving the crowd to watch a one-horse race. Still, Sean Quinlan was made to ride the Jennie Candlish-trained horse around the circuit before being able to claim victory and the first prize of £7,922.

Had he failed to get around, organisers wouldn't have been able to crown a winner. However, that scenario won't occur again after the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) implemented new regulations on Monday.

From now on, a horse left as the only runner will be declared the winner without having to step foot on the course. The BHA have said the alteration will "reduce the overall impact of a walkover and remove the additional requirements placed on participants."

Jockey Quinlan saw the funny side of being made to race. He ironically punched his fist in the air after easing past the post, but afterwards, spoke out at being made to to ride.

"There's no point in a horse going out there if he's the only one, and things should just be kept as simple as possible," she said. "It saves time and fuss and stops everyone complaining.

"And if it means a horse doesn't have to travel to the races just to walk over, that's a good thing. The same goes for a rider who has just that one ride on the day."

Despite the change, walkovers will still not count towards handicap marks, penalties or qualifications. Those regulations have been in place since the start of 2022.