Leading French Trainers Subjects of Police Doping Probe

Leading trainers Frederic, Cedric, and Charley Rossi were the subjects of a police investigation into the alleged doping of horses on Dec. 7, according to various reports by French media. 

According to Jour de Galop, around 10 police officers targeted the stables of Charley and Jessica Rossi in Calas, near Marseille, and the couple were taken into custody, while samples were taken from runners from the previous day trained by Charley's uncle Frederic and brother Cedric. 

The raid was said to last four hours and was conducted by the Service Central des Courses et Jeux, which specializes in gambling and racing offences. A total of 15 people, including vets, were said to have been taken in after searches of the training center.

A report by Agence France-Presse alleged Frederic and Cedric, who trains QIPCO Champion Stakes (G1) winner Sealiway , were also arrested. 

It was reported that the raids were ordered by an investigating judge in Aix-en-Provence as part of an open judicial investigation, in particular for equine doping, following information obtained by the Marseille judicial police. 

Frederic Rossi is the most successful of the three trainers and has won two group 1s, including the Emirates Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (G1), the French equivalent of the One Thousand Guineas, with Dream And Do  in 2020.

He also trained Sealiway, who joined Cedric Rossi this year and was fifth in the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1) at ParisLongchamp before springing a 12-1 surprise in the Champion Stakes on British Champions Day. 

Charley Rossi is also a group 1-winning trainer, having landed the Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac-Criterium des Pouliches (G1) with Tiger Tanaka  at the Arc meeting in 2020.

A France Galop statement declined to comment on the details of the case but said they were "closely following the latest developments in the ongoing investigations, which were made public today."

It said: "France Galop is responsible for ensuring the regularity of racing and, in this context, it cooperates closely and on an ongoing basis with the central racing and gaming department of the French National Police.

"The fight against doping is an absolute priority for the racing industry, which devotes an annual budget of €10 million to it. The horse racing industry carries out nearly 30,000 anti-doping tests per year, many of them unannounced, in races, but also on horses in training, horses that come out of training and at stud farms."