Three Individuals Charged, Five Still Held in Raids

Three individuals among the 23 arrests made in a coordinated swoop by police investigating a potential doping ring have been charged, although no names have been released.

A prosecuting judge in Bordeaux has leveled the charges after 80 officers raided premises across France on March 22, with media reports pointing to both racing and trotting professionals as well as a number of vets being persons of interest.

In a statement released jointly by the National Horseracing Federation, France Galop, and Le Trot, the three individuals who have been charged have also been banned from having any contact with racing or training establishments.

The statement said: "In addition to being charged by the judiciary, these individuals have been banned from frequenting any racecourse and participating in any activity connected to racehorses.

"The other people involved in the police action that have not been charged as of yet do not face any sanction, have not had their horses seized, and are not banned from running."

The newspaper Le Parisien named a number of high-profile people from the trotting world as well as two jumps trainers, one of whom saddled a number of runners at Fontainebleau on Friday and thus is presumed not to have been charged as of now.

The statement from the Bordeaux prosecutor explicitly pointed out that more charges could yet be forthcoming— five more people had their time in custody extended March 25—among those arrested on Tuesday, while offering the possibility of further raids.