British trainers Charlie Egerton and Jamie Osborne today both gave evidence in the trial of five men accused of doping two horses in 1997.
The dopers, armed with a sedative, struck at both Exeter and Plumpton, the prosecution told a jury at Southwark Crown Court, London.
They were so successful that in the first race, Avanti Express - one of only two runners with a 'realistic' chance of winning - had to be pulled up by Osborne, then still a jockey, before the end, it was claimed.
As a result the horse`s nearest rival, Give And Take, romped home in first, said Richard Whittam, prosecuting.
It was the Crown`s case that a surge of late bets shortening the odds of Give And Take, was no coincidence.
In the second event at Plumpton, just over three weeks later, Lively Knight, the 'clear odds-on favourite', ridden by Leighton Aspell, came in a poor second in a three-horse novice chase.
Both Aspell and Osborne were arrested in connection with the investigation in January 1998 before being cleared of all ages in April and October of the same year respectively.
In both cases urine samples were taken and revealed traces of a 'performance-inhibiting drug' called ACP (acetylpromazine).
In the dock are Raymond Butler, 52, of Cricklewood Broadway, Cricklewood, north-west London; Adam Hodgson, 37, of Laurell Avenue, Langley, Slough, Berkshire; Jason Moore, 30, of Sands Way, Woodford Green, Essex; John Matthews, 36, of Beaumont Court, Post Office Lane, Slough; and Glen Gill, 34, of Highlands Road, Fareham, Hampshire.
All five deny one count of conspiracy to defraud between March 1st and April 1st 1997.
Whittam said: 'It is the Crown`s case that these defendants were members of a team that set out to dope racehorses for gain by betting on one or more of the horses who were not doped.'
As a result the bookmakers` money was 'put at risk and their rights prejudiced', he said, adding, 'It also prejudiced the rights of those who bet on the doped horses'.
One defendant - Butler - was not only present at both races but was found to have syringes containing ACP at his home.
Evidence would be produced to show they had been 'adapted to allow them to be used to dope horses', Whittam said.
Dealing with the first race he said Avanti Express, trained by Egerton at Chaddleworth, Lambourn, was one of 11 runners in the HMS Exeter Novices` Handicap Hurdle on March 7, 1997.
According to the Sporting Life, Give And Take was the only other horse with any chance of winning, Whittam said.
Two lads accompanied Avanti Express from its stables to Exeter.
One of them was Joseph Tuite. He would not be giving evidence and the 'prosecution cannot exclude the possibility that he was involved in the doping,' Whittam said.
The journey was 'unremarkable' and once at Exeter the horse was put into a box in the security area.
From the times the two travelling lads variously were with the racehorse it was clear there was a 'window of opportunity' to interfere with the favourite.
Before the race there was no sign of anything amiss.
'But after the race started Avanti Express didn`t respond ... and it became clear to the jockey that something was wrong and it was running way below-par.
'As other horses passed him he decided to pull up ... and Give And Take duly won,' Whittam said.
A stewards` inquiry was held but no explanation was immediately forthcoming.
However, a subsequent urine sample revealed the presence of ACP.
He told the jury of seven women and five men they would hear how Avanti Express and Give And Take changed their positions in the market in the run-up to the race.
Whittam said evidence would also be heard about the betting.
One bookmaker would tell of the 'considerable market move' for Give And Take just before the Exeter race.
A #1,000 bet from a stranger generated a #2,250 pay-off. Another course bookie would give details of the betting that Butler indulged in.
Gill, who was not at the event but 'closely in touch with Moore on the telephone' was also at a bookmakers.
He too successfully bet on Give And Take.
'There is only one reason to dope a horse, that is to know that that horse, the doped horse, is not going to win,' Whittam told the jury.
It later emerged that all the defendants except Gill were at Exeter that day.
'You may think they must have had a real interest in what was happening. It is 181 miles from Slough where Mr Matthews lives and over 215 miles from Woodford, where Mr Moore lives,' Whittam said.
But another meeting at Sandown, held the same day, was within 20 to 30 miles of their homes.
Despite the distance they travelled they only remained at Exeter for a short time, leaving immediately after Avanti Express`s race.
But before it was run Hodgson was spotted repeatedly attempting to get into a secure area, Whittam claimed.
He was challenged and stopped on each occasion. During the lasttime he was spotted hiding behind a horse`s hind-quarters as the animal was being led into the area.
A security camera video, which filmed him, was then shown to the jury.
Egerton told the court that until the Exeter race started he never doubted his horse would win.
'He was the best in the field and I thought he was a lot better than his past form,' he said.
Give And Take was its nearest rival and although he 'respected' the animal he regarded neither it nor the others as 'effective opposition'.
He recalled that just before starters orders he noticed Avanti Express was 'drifting in the market' in favour of Give And Take.
Egerton said: 'Once the race started my view of my horse was pretty depressing after the first couple of hurdles. He`s normally quite a puller, but he was not travelling at all.
'My horse didn`t look happy. He was not pulling and he was struggling to keep up in the middle of the field.
'But as the race progressed, he didn`t fare any better. In fact he went into reverse and by half way through he was practically last. In the end Mr Osborne pulled him up.'
The jockey, however, was at a loss to explain the horse`s very poor performance.
Egerton, who told the jury he never bet on his own horses, later visited Avanti Express in the stables.
'He was slightly distressed. I thought that was significant,' he added
The horse was examined and tests were carried out, but it was not immediately discovered what was wrong.
Osborne, who was next to give evidence, said it became clear very quickly after the start of the race that Avanti Express was 'struggling'.
He said: 'I was going nowhere, he felt lifeless. It was quite apparent I should be attempting to get a bit closer to Give And Take but I was unable to do that ... There was a nil response. It was a lost cause. Something was obviously amiss.'
In the end he realised he had no option but to pull the horse up.
The trial was adjourned until Monday.
