Big racing scandals in the UK at present, undermining public confidence that its a clean sport. Today the UK Guardian newspaper published this:

10 ways to fiddle the form

1 Bucket of water

The oldest trick in the book: giving the horse too much water to drink before the start of a race. The animal becomes bloated and cannot perform to its full potential.

2 Slow start

Missing the break in a sprint practically rules out a horse's chance. This was the case in the 1985 Champion Hurdle when the odds-on favourite Browne's Gazette, ridden by confessed doper Dermot Browne, was facing to the side rather than to the front when the tapes were raised at the start. It finished sixth.

3 Stopping or getting blocked

A jockey gets his horse boxed in behind a wall of horses as the race progresses, meaning that he can't get a clear run and compete for first position.

4 Wrong going, wrong distance

By running a horse consistently over a distance that does not suit the horse, or on ground that is slower than the horse prefers, a trainer can ensure it fails. The official handicapper reacts by giving the horse a lower rating, which means that it runs in races with less able horses. The trainer then runs the horse on the correct ground and at the correct distance and the horse is likely to win, often at very attractive odds.

5 Purgatives

In 1961 the Derby favourite, Pinturischio, was "got at" with a dose of croton oil, normally used on constipated elephants. The horse was given a double dose which reportedly worked like a charm.

6 Exercise

Certain horses need plenty of exercise on the gallops and lack of it would affect their performance, leading to losses and a descent down the handicaps (see 4). The same applies for overworking a horse.

7 Ringer

This means racing a horse that looks similar to another, but is in fact much better. When Flockton Grey was backed to win £200,000 at Leicester in 1982, the horse that actually won the race was in fact called Good Hand. Trainer John Bowles was banned for 20 years for a similar ******** in 1978 when a horse with little form called In The Money won five races. The beast that actually did the running was Cobbler's March.

8 Stun gun

A defendant in a drugs case in 1989 claimed that he had affected the running of a horse called Ile de Chypre at Royal Ascot the previous year through ultrasound waves emitted by an adapted pair of binoculars. The efficacy of such a device was unproved and the defendant's story was not accepted by the court. During the course of the King George V Handicap, Ile de Chypre had suddenly veered badly in the middle of the race.

9 Doping

There have been many cases of doping down the years, the most recent being that of Avanti Express and Lively Knight. Both were tested positive for the tranquilliser Acetylpromazine (ACP). Avanti Express was doped when pulled up at Exeter in March 1997 and Lively Knight, a 7-1 on shot, finished second at Plumpton in the same month.

10 Jumping off

There must be easier ways to lose a race, but jockey Sean Fox did it to perfection at Fontwell on Monday when he stepped off Ice Saint in a beginners' chase, earning a 21-day riding ban for "failing to take all reasonable measures to obtain the best possible placing" (he denies cheating).

Of these, I reckon the only one that might be common in Oz racing is #4 Wrong Going. There's just too many trainers.

Interested in any opinions on this sort of thing.

Hermes

2,3 and 4 an everyday occurence on Australian tracks and I dare say any track in the world.
Cheers.
darky.