Jump jockey Dean Gallagher has been re-bailed to report back to Metropolitan Police next month, pending reports to the Crown Prosecution Service, as the lengthy investigation into doping and race-fixing on the British turf continued, writes Jim McGrath.
Gallagher faced a lengthy interrogation at Charing Cross Police Station in London as officers continued their high-profile probe. But the rider, who arrived for questioning early in the morning, has not been charged.
Six other men - Brian Wright, Jason Moore, Ray Butler, Glen Gill, Adam Hodgson and John Mathews - also attended to answer questions. Police sources reported that, in addition, a 58-year-old man had been released without action being taken, while a 24-year-old man arrested in June had was again bailed until Tuesday.
Douglas Fordham, Gallagher's solicitor, commented upon leaving the station late yesterday: 'Dean has been in the police station since approximately 11am this morning. He has been interviewed - he has not been charged - and there are a number of people the police are interviewing today. They are waiting until they have interviewed all those people until they make a decision as to what they are doing further.' The long-running police investigation into allegations of race-fixing and also doping has been on-going since February last year.
The Jockey Club had initiated an investigation into race-fixing in late 1996. Then, the two cases of doping were discovered in March 1997.
Avanti Express was found to have been doped at Exeter on March 7 last year, while Lively Knight suffered a similar fate in a race at Plumpton on March 29, a little over three weeks later.