Frankie Dettori faces French inquiry today after “positive test”

Jockey Frankie Dettori celebrates after winning the Gold Cup on Colour Vision on Ladies Day at Royal Ascot. Picture: David Davies/PA Archive

By Simon Jackson, London24’s horse racing correspondent , Horse Talk: Top horse-racing tips and the latest news
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
8:20 AM

Frankie Dettori faces a hearing with French racing authority France Galop today (Tuesday) following the Newmarket based Italian’s “positive test” to a banned substance at Longchamp on September 16.

The three time champion jockey who numbers the 2007 Derby on Authorized amongst a plethora of victories in a glittering career that has seen him land every British Classic, could face a lengthy worldwide ban if found guilty.

The 41-year-olds solicitor, Christopher Stewart-Moore, while not elaborating on details of the test results, said that Dettori was not attempting to gain a competitive advantage over his rivals.

“There are a large variety of substances which are banned by France Galop,” Stewart-Moore told BBC Sport.

“We are not going to say which substance he has tested positive for as that would be in breach of their rules, but it’s not a performance-enhancing drug.”