Karl Burke's hopes for Ascot alive after hearing date set

Trainer Karl Burke is likely to be free to saddle Classic hopes Popmurphy and Lord Shanakill at Royal Ascot, as racing's chiefs prepare to finally sweep up the fall-out from the collapse of the Old Bailey race-fixing trial.

Burke, along with jockeys Darren Williams and Fergal Lynch, will face corruption charges at a disciplinary panel within six weeks.

All three face allegations over their dealings with former owner and gambler Miles Rodgers, who has been a disqualified person since April 2004, and whether or not they supplied him with inside information on a dozen races in that year.

While the futures of Williams and, in particular, Lynch could be in doubt, if the British Horseracing Authority find Burke guilty, the trainer's punishment is set to be towards the lower end of the scale and they are more likely to impose a fine, rather than a suspension.

Burke is charged, among other things, with misleading a BHA investigating officer and failing to mention monies accepted from Rodgers over the purchase of racehorse Khanjar in 2004. The BHA will meet with lawyers on Friday for a 'direction hearing', which will set a date for the disciplinary inquiry.

"We have set aside a two-week period - 8-19 June - for the hearing, which is the week before and the week of Royal Ascot," said the BHA's Owen Byrne. "The direction hearing is to be used to try to get the date for the hearing nailed down."