Some of Britain’s jockeys will get their first experience this week of a new procedure that could become a regular part of their working routine. The Guardian understands a pilot scheme to conduct pre-racing saliva tests for cocaine on riders will be launched over the next few days.
The scheme, which was announced by the British Horseracing Authority in February, is a significant step towards finding out whether the weighing room has a deep-rooted problem with cocaine. Recent evidence might suggest that the answer is yes.
Benoit de la Sayette, the 18-year-old apprentice who won the Lincoln Handicap on Haqeeqy in March, denied ever having taken cocaine when a video, which started to circulate on social media shortly after his big win at Doncaster, seemed to show him at a party where the drug was being used. A subsequent hair test, however, was positive and De la Sayette, via a statement from the Professional Jockeys Association, apologised “both in respect of taking cocaine and of misleading those around me”.
De la Sayette’s case has yet to be heard by the disciplinary panel but he seems likely to be the fifth current or former jockey – all from the Flat – to be banned for a cocaine positive in Britain since November.
Adrian McCarthy, Finlay Marsh, Philip Prince and Nathan Evans are all serving or have completed their suspensions while, in another high-profile case involving the drug, the champion jockey Oisin Murphy was banned for three months by the French authorities in November. Murphy avoided the standard six-month suspension for a first cocaine positive after a hearing accepted that a test result after riding at Chantilly in July 2020 was due to “environmental contamination” as the result of sexual contact with a user.
Add in the fact that Paul Struthers, chief executive of the PJA, recently told ITV Racing that there are “a couple more in the pipeline” and it could be easy to conclude that use of a drug which, in the words of McCarthy’s disciplinary panel, “is not only very dangerous for riders and horses [but also] has a tendency to bring the sport into disrepute” is rife in the weighing rooms.
Easy, but not necessarily correct, which is why the pilot of saliva testing could be game-changer. The new procedure has several big advantages over the urine, blood and hair tests that have been used in the past (and will still be used to confirm results of saliva tests and rule out false positives).
The most obvious benefit is speed. The result arrives in a matter of minutes and so any rider who tests positive can be stood down for the day before they pose a threat to the safety of others. But it is also much cheaper than previous tests and more straightforward to conduct, which means many more tests can be carried out. A saliva test could, in theory, almost become part of a rider’s daily routine if the regulator thought it necessary.
Lingfield Park
12.30 Rhubarb Bikini
1.00 Anmaat
1.30 Rebel Territory
2.00 Katelli
2.30 Swiss Pride (nap)
3.05 Mutasallem
3.40 Gift Horse
4.15 Corofin
Ayr
1.15 Alqamar
1.45 Silken Moonlight
2.20 Bootlegger (nb)
2.55 Sidi Ismael
3.30 Charm Offensive
4.05 Mannochmore
4.40 Ned Tanner
5.10 Here Comes The Man
Fakenham
2.10 Ar Mest
2.45 Treacys Jim
3.20 Tossapenny
3.55 Say Nothing
4.25 Robin Of Sherwood
4.55 Tullys Touch
Southwell
4.45 Heavey
5.15 Demon D’Aunou
5.50 Calidad
6.20 Brorson
6.50 Hahadi
7.20 No Ordinary Joe
7.50 Ballycrystal
8.20 Monash
Wolverhampton
5.30 Carey Street
6.00 Cathayensis
6.30 Get It
7.00 Dan De Light
7.30 Imajorblush
8.00 Angel’s Kiss
8.30 Some Nightmare
The initial pilot scheme which starts this week should give at least some indication of whether there is a widespread cocaine problem among Britain’s jockeys. But even if the early signs are that it is not the significant issue that the recent spate of cases might suggest, the rollout of widespread and regular saliva tests should hopefully be an important part of keeping it that way.
And it is not just about clamping down or stamping out. There is an appreciation, too, that a recreational drug which is widely used in society – and does not come with weight issues attached – will always be a temptation, for younger jockeys in particular.
Chester 1.45 Devious Angel 2.15 Dubai Fountain (nb) 2.45 Army Of India 3.15 Wirko 3.45 Uncle Jumbo (nap) 4.15 Kingsofthemidlands 4.45 National League
Newton Abbot 1.00 Southfield Harvest 1.30 Padstow Harbour 2.00 Tulin 2.30 Eritage 3.05 Fagan 3.35 Chez Hans 4.07 As High Say 4.40 Minnie Escape
Kelso 1.20 Charm Offensive 1.55 Do Not Disturb 2.25 Rattle Owl 2.55 Mance Rayder 3.25 Valence D’Aumont 4.00 Dolphin Square 4.35 Buck’s Boggle
Fontwell 4.50 Step To The Top 5.20 The Wire Flyer 5.50 Dark Flame 6.20 Thunderstruck 6.50 Distingo 7.20 Episode 7.50 Credo
Kempton 5.10 Thunder Love 5.40 Franklet 6.10 Sense Of Romance 6.40 Paxos 7.10 Ransom 7.40 Ministerial 8.10 Aramis Grey
“There is much more to tackling issues such as substance use than pure regulation,” Brant Dunshea, the BHA’s chief regulatory officer, said when the pilot was announced. “The BHA is also working with the PJA to take a wider look at this issue and how we can better educate and protect our participants and rehabilitate those who do become involved.”
Huntingdon 12.50 Raffle Ticket 1.20 Pawpaw 1.55 Ask The Lady 2.25 Rooster Cogburn 2.55 Rukwa 3.25 Jimmy Bell 4.00 Storm Of Light 4.35 Wolfspear
Worcester 1.00 Shareef Star 1.30 Hawk’s Well 2.00 Getawaytonewbay 2.30 Dancingwith Storms 3.05 Glimpse Of Gala 3.35 Singapore Saga 4.07 Butler’s Brief 4.40 Nye Bevan
Chester 1.45 Makanah (nap) 2.15 Ontario 2.45 Aleas 3.15 Morando 3.45 Spirit Dancer (nb) 4.15 Russellinthebushes 4.45 Sonning
Chelmsford 4.50 Jebel Dukhan 5.20 Arion Fox 5.50 Ventura Vision 6.20 Bayston Hill 6.50 Murhib 7.20 Allegranza 7.50 Global Prospector
Racing will be the first major sport to trial the use of saliva tests on competitors and the BHA deserves credit for taking a broad and proactive approach to what may – or may not – prove to be a deep-seated problem when it might have been easier to look the other way.
Guardian’s tips top in April
The Guardian’s tipping led the way in the Racing Post’s National Press Challenge last month, with a 29% strike-rate from 834 selections and a theoretical return on investment of 93%. No competitor had an ROI above 90%.
• This is the last daily Talking Horses column, although the feature will still be appearing every Monday and every Saturday and more sporadically on other days. Our tips for Tuesdays to Fridays will be included in other racing stories through the week. They will also be added to the Monday column through the week – so to be absolutely sure of seeing them, simply return and refresh the Monday column page each day. On Saturday we will provide our usual bumper weekend tipping service.
