Testing time for jockeys

RACING: Jockeys were breathalysed on a British racecourse for the first time at Brighton on Tuesday.

A total of 12 riders were tested before racing under new Jockey Club rules, and they all passed.

Alan Daly was the first one of the dozen and said: "It was ironic that I was the first to be done. I wasn't in the least bit worried, because I am teetotal."

In new procedures announced last month jockeys will have to cope with up to 3,000 tests a year for alcohol and for drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy after the Jockey Club unveiled a shift in its testing policy.

The Jockey Club's aim is to increase testing to 12 to 14 race meetings a month over approximately three days a week.

The plan is for urine samples to be taken from six to eight riders and breathalyser tests from 12 to 16, covering two jump meetings and one flat during the winter and vice-versa during the summer.