Racing is facing new dope probe

British racing is set to be rocked by a new doping scandal.

Details emerged last night of a Jockey Club investigation into a positive dope test after Ashgar, a six-year-old trained by Philip Hobbs and ridden by Paul Flynn, finished a lacklustre third in a novices' hurdle at Plumpton on Easter Saturday - despite being the 5-6 favourite.

It was later revealed he had tested positive to the 'stopping drug', ACP (acetylpromazine). The same substance was at the centre of the infamous race-fixing and doping investigations that sparked arrests between 1998 and 1999 but was eventually thrown out of court in October 2000 due to insufficient evidence.

Jockey Club security staff attended Plumpton's meeting yesterday as part of its ongoing inquiries. It is understood it focused attention on stabling arrangements at the course.

Hobbs and many of his staff have already been interviewed.

Jockey Club staff have reportedly also visited Betfair, the market leader in betting exchanges, to discuss betting patterns of a number of races.

It is not known whether the Ashgar incident was included - nor whether the two inquiries are linked.

The doping of the Josh Gifford-trained Lively Knight just over five years ago - and an identical result returned by the Charlie Brooks-trained Avanti Express at Exeter - sparked a lengthy police investigation.