Frankie Dettori shame: Jockey devastated at failed test as drugs shame sees Coral remove him from champion jockey market

As the wider racing world began to come to terms with Frankie Dettori’s positive drug test, the man himself was said to be devastated at the events that threaten to derail his career.

Speculation at the reason why the 41-year-old tested positive to cocaine or a derivative of it while riding at Longchamp on September 16 was rife in an information vacuum.

There was even an unconfirmed report from Paris that suggested Dettori’s test had been the result of a third-party tip-off.

Was the subsequent positive test related to the weight-obsessed regime of a Flat jockey or the emotional low of seeing his position of No 1 jockey eroded at the Godolphin stable of Sheik Mohammed by the rise of Mickael Barzalona?

Each explanation seemed irrelevant when the episode is seen as a personal tragedy for the best-known and liked personality in British racing.

Racemail that the three-time champion has been ‘knocked for six’ by the positive test which was ‘a moment of madness rather than a genuine addiction.’

That suggestion would seem to be supported by confirmation from the British Horseracing Authority that the Italian has been tested six times on our racecourse this year without a problem.

On Wednesday night, Dettori was still believed to be in Dubai – where he has stopped off en route from riding Godolphin’s unplaced Cavalryman in the Melbourne Cup – ahead of the enquiry with the medical committee of France Galop next week.

But already racing is braced for Dettori to be banned for least six months.

That is how long colleague Kieren Fallon was suspended on the first occasion he tested positive to a metabolite of cocaine in France in 2006.

That ban, reciprocated worldwide, is likely to see Dettori out of action until at least June next year.

By then, the rider who has been removed from the lists of 2013 champion jockey betting, will have missed the 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas and possibly both the Derby and Royal Ascot.

Crucially, he will also have missed forging those new freelance links vital in his working life without his massive Godolphin contract.

The fact that the news of Dettori’s positive test came as such a surprise when it was announced on Tuesday would imply it had no bearing on the decision of Godolphin to sever its links with the man who had ridden 110 group one winners for them in their 18-year association.

But it also inevitable that Sheik Mohammed, despite his attention being focussed on ruling Dubai, has not been kept appraised of developments.

The chances of Dettori riding for his stable again – and there was a chance he would have partnered Delegator for them in December Hong Kong Mile - would be edging towards remote.

But that does not mean Dettori will not be able to bounce back –Fallon has to a certain extent proved that, even though he is not as successful as his heyday.

In Dettori’s favour, he also does not have the disciplinary baggage that the Irishman has to carry.

There may be some who view Dettori as a cocky character getting his comeuppance but many more who regard him with affection and still one of the best jockeys in the world.

Meanwhile, the British Horseracing Authority has been forced to defend its drug-testing procedure with questions being asked as why the two highest-profile positive tests on British-based jockeys occurred on French soil.

As well as pinpointing Dettori’s six 2012 tests, BHA spokesman Robin Mounsey said complete figures for 2011 showed a total of 973 racecourse tests were carried out  with an additional 52 out of competition.

These tests, equating to around two for every Flat and jumps jockey and screened by the private Concateno South laboratory, produced one positive test for a cocaine-related positive - Jack Mitchell at Newmarket in May, which earned him a six-month ban.

Mounsey added: ‘The testing procedures in place in British Racing are very robust. Jockeys are tested randomly throughout the year at highly regular intervals, as well as at every day of major festivals.

‘Our data, based on robust testing procedures, suggests that there is no endemic problem with the use of prohibited substances in British Racing. The sport as a whole, and jockeys collectively, should not be branded by the actions of an individual.’