Racing: Club douses dope fear

THE JOCKEY CLUB confirmed yesterday that a series of dope tests, carried out on short-priced favourites who had recently run poorly, have proved negative.

Rumours that a number of horses had been 'got at' had caused fears of a fresh doping scandal. But David Pipe, the Jockey Club's director of public affairs, said: 'The tests are all clear. There is no evidence to support any allegations of skullduggery.'

Among the horses tested was Martin Pipe's Boogie Bopper, who was beaten 50 lengths at odds of 4-6 in a Leicester hurdle race on Thursday. Samples from Hamanaka and Badastan, who returned with irregular heartbeats following their defeats at Leicester and Sandown on the same day, have also proved negative.