Harry Bentley lives to fight another day, and in the long run, Hong Kong racing is likely to be better for it.

But it seems that – with the information we have – Bentley can count himself lucky to have only been hit with a two-month suspension and a HK$300,000 fine on Monday after pleading guilty to a charge of improper conduct.

“Providing false or misleading statements” to stewards, actively relaying information to someone believed to be on the Jockey Club’s radar using a “private mobile telephone provided by such persons” and “agreeing to accept a payment” doesn’t read well in the cold light of day.

Three days before Bentley was, on November 3, stood down pending a “potential disciplinary matter”, he provided those false or misleading statements, which seems a sure-fire way to display at least a certain level of guilt straight off the bat.

Clearly, Bentley thought better of that approach before it was too late, and the fact he engaged legal representation – something Jockey Club executive director of racing Andrew Harding says is “not common either here or elsewhere at inquiry level” – shows he thought he had a case worth fighting for.

The fact Bentley didn’t receive the agreed payment must also have contributed to his longevity in the jurisdiction.

But that such an affable, unassuming and – seemingly – smart chap as Bentley got himself into such a predicament does once again highlight the risks jockeys face from those lurking in the shadows and how anyone can trip up if they’re not extremely careful.

“He’d probably have been my last pick,” were the words of one of Bentley’s riding colleagues when informed it was the British expatriate in the cross hairs of Jockey Club stewards moments before they stood him down.

But whether it was through sheer naivety, some bad advice or something else – the fact Bentley has been suspended rather than disqualified suggests it was unlikely something more sinister – doesn’t take away from the fact that the Englishman found himself providing information about horses he had ridden to “persons who were not the registered owners or nominators of such horses, using a private mobile telephone provided by such persons”.

If that doesn’t set alarm bells off, what will? Maybe it did, and maybe that’s part of the reason the likeable rider has survived. For the time being, with the Post unable to contact Bentley, it remains unknown just how things unfolded on his end.

Looking forward, Bentley – unlike many before him – will get the chance to learn from his mistakes and show the licensing committee he’s worthy of a spot on the roster for next season.

And he might not be the only one who learns a thing or two from this process.

Jockey Club stewards charge Bentley ‘under the rules of racing’

The days of silence that followed Bentley’s standing down ensured the rumour mill was working in overdrive and led to calls for the transparency the Jockey Club prides itself on to come to the fore.

While allowing themselves time to conduct their investigation by standing Bentley down now looks like a justified move by officials, the level of secrecy around the charge released last Thursday night seems excessive.

Rather than offering only that he had been “issued with a charge under the rules of racing”, it should have been simple enough to take the extra step and reveal they had charged Bentley with improper conduct under Rule of Racing 155 (5) – which reads that “no person shall be guilty of any misconduct, improper conduct or inappropriate behaviour”.

More important now, however, is that Bentley will get the chance to do his time and resurrect his Hong Kong career. Stewards took into account Bentley’s “personal and professional circumstances” when determining his penalty. Perhaps it will be a more street-smart jockey who emerges in 15 meetings’ time.