Jockeys riding in Hong Kong's Millennium Cup race meeting may be breath-tested before the final event of the night, racing authorities there said yesterday.
The breath-test rule came after two jockeys, South African Basil Marcus and France's Eric Legrix, asked the Hong Kong Jockey Club for permission to leave the track to see in the new millennium with their families during the December 31st night meeting.
Normally jockeys are barred from leaving the confines of the changing and weighing rooms during meetings until they have completed their rides.
But the Hong Kong Jockey Club has ruled that because the new millennium is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, jockeys will be allowed to leave the track - as long as they have a breath test when they return.
"Jockeys racing at the meet have been given permission to leave the normal areas for the millennium," a Hong Kong Jockey Club spokesman said. "Our chief stipendiary steward has told the jockeys that we reserve the right to breath test them when they return.
"It is an exceptional case because it is a unique occasion," he said, referring to the meeting at the famous Happy Valley track.
Fiddling The Facts was yesterday reported to be "fine" after her lacklustre display in the Coral Welsh National at Chepstow on Monday.
Sent off 11 to 2 third favourite to improve on her second place in last year's race, Nicky Henderson's mare weakened from four out and was tailed off when pulled up by Mick Fitzgerald before the penultimate fence.
"She's fine this morning," said her trainer.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/YVIRIOZQ35EWRPZXR27KGMO6YU.png)