The face looks almost familiar... Ryan Moore stresses racing's biggest snag

'Do you know who I am?' the exasperated jockey pleaded to the two security officials.

To his indignation they hadn't a clue. Moore's outburst laid bare racing's biggest problem.

This should have been the equivalent of Lewis Hamilton being denied entry to Silverstone, Tiger Woods turned away from Augusta or Rafael Nadal barred from Wimbledon.

Except that, Frankie Dettori apart, racing's top riders are a faceless bunch with no idea how to exploit their commercial potential.

The invisible man: Ryan Moore¿s successes have not led to fame

Moore, after all, is already a champion jockey with a mortgage on this year's title and one of the most talented riders of his generation.

But he will never captivate an audience like Dettori and nor will any of the others, according to Peter Burrell, who was instrumental in turning the housewives' favourite into a household name.

'Who stands out in the current crop? Nobody. I'm not being disrespectful to any of them but I have tried with various other people over the years and never got anywhere,' said Burrell.

'The only reason Frankie succeeded is that he had charisma. It wouldn't have mattered if he was a weightlifter or a cyclist he would  still have got the coverage.

'Moore doesn't speak to the media and the media were very important in turning Frankie into a commercial entity.'

Racing is often an insular sport but this week marks the start of a push to give jockeys wider appeal and break down barriers.

Josh Apiafi, chief executive of the Professional Jockeys Association, will be a guest presenter for Channel 4's coverage of the July Cup meeting at Newmarket and he will conduct his interviews from the inner sanctum of the weighing room.

In 2010, when the £10 million Sovereign Series is launched, showcasing the season's 10 biggest races, jockeys may be compelled to make media appearances in a bolder, jazzed-up format.

Apiafi said: 'Frankie is the only one who knows when the click of a camera goes it is money in his pocket - not today but in the future, because it raises his profile.

'The reason why Lewis Hamilton was so good in front of the television in his first year is because, since the age of nine, he has had media training and at 21 could go on Parkinson and be as cool as a cucumber.'

The demanding schedule of modern-day racing partly explains jockeys' robotic existence and aversion to engaging with the media but Apiafi offers another reason.

'Jockeys have been suppressed for 100 years - that tip-of-the-cap, master-servant thing - but racing knows it must make more of them. When you suppress someone for so long, to ask them to turn round and be like Frankie is very difficult.'

His plan is to raise their profile by aligning them with leading brands, but he admits: 'There is no point raising their profile if a camera is put in front of them and they don't know what to say.'

Apiafi sees his presence in the weighing room this week as a first positive step.

If, within 10 years, a fresh-faced Flat jockey features on Sports Personality of the Year it will be mission accomplished.

Getting a champion jockey recognised at one of the most prestigious racecourses would be a start.