Photo-finish faces probe

Until now, it was feared that insider knowledge could be used for profit by laying a horse that they know will not win.

Now, following an alert from the sport's digital channel attheraces, the investigation has begun into the photo-finish markets on Betfair, the world's leading exchange.

This time the fear is that people are laying bets on horses they know have not won.

The opportunity arises because of the time delay that operates between what happens on course and its broadcast on satellite television services.

On an exchange, seconds are all the edge you need.

Many people have spotted that in the seconds prior to the result being announced oncourse, those bets offered on the eventual winner are hoovered up.

Andrew Black, one of Betfair's founders, informed the Jockey Club of this six months ago. But initial scrutiny by Betfair's security department revealed no one person or group consistently profiting in this scenario. It concluded that people with laptops or mobiles at the tracks could be using the seconds' advantage they have to fleece stay-at-home punters who are watching on TV.

More worryingly, attheraces programme-makers receive instantaneous pictures from the track into their studio but yet have still spotted the same hoovering pattern. Put simply, is someone somehow betting on a result they know before it is even announced?

"To protect racing and punters, we felt that it was our duty to inform the relevant authorities, " said channel editor Jim Ramsey. Betfair warns clients of their potential disadvantageand is considering posting agents on-course to provide a swifter suspension trigger.

The company has relaunched its investigation and alerted the Jockey Club's security department.

Whatever the explanation, take this as a wealth warning.

Hard logic of Viagra plan

What was the culprit who fed Viagra to two horses in Macau getting up to? Lovely and Southern Hope, who between them won three races there last month, were disqualified after testing positive for the impotence drug. Their trainer was fined £20,000 and banned for five months. Sildenafil, the main derivative of Viagra, is a stimulant that could make horses run faster or react quicker. But perhaps the doser had another idea.

Most horses break blood vessels in their lungs when running fast. The more a horse bleeds, the more performance is impaired. The lower the blood pressure in the lungs, the less likely it will occur. Viagra changes the way blood flow is distributed, so perhaps that was the not-so-subtle plan.

Why I'm weak at the knees for Attraction

Nice pace, shame about the legs. Attraction's story is just the kind of thing that would have sold me on racing as a kid. The hook is she's a working-class filly with boss-eyed legs. When she won Newmarket's Cherry Hinton last Tuesday, it was an Ugly Duckling moment when you realised how beautiful the gawky kid is.

Lovers of perfect thoroughbred conformation have been known to wince when pointing out where she strays from the ideal. But her trainer Mark Johnston is more a pragmatist - her pins may not be pretty but she certainly moves them fast.

When I was still at school, a diminutive filly called Lyric Fantasy famously trounced her elders in the 1992 Group One Nunthorpe Stakes. So, let's hope the memory of Attraction's exploits endure, too.

Keep us in the picture

Many congratulations to Newmarket's management team, who broadcast the 'away' meetings on the track's big screen during last week's hugely successful July Meeting. This made it easier for punters who had bet on races elsewhere to follow their money.

Newmarket isn't the first track to do it - it's a regular feature at Haydock - but it's a sign that execs are at last beginning to think from an ordinary racegoer's perspective. Now we need to tackle the catering. It can be done: at Wimbledon, queues were still long and prices hardly low, but the quality of food made it worthwhile.