RANDOM drug testing of horses in their stables will be introduced next year, it was announced yesterday. Jockey Club vets and inspectors wilt have the power to visit yards and take random samples. However the vast majority of visits will be made by appointment, unlike the unannounced checks possible in athletics.

Christopher Foster, executive director of the Jockey Club with responsibility for drug abuse, stressed: "I am not saying we're facing a particular crisis at the present time.

"We're taking sensible precautions so that if there is a suggestion that drugs are actually being misused then by testing horses in training we can protect racing from that abuse.

"What we're anxious to have are the powers for us to be able to detect the administration of long-acting drugs where the pharmaco-logical affects maybe long-term and where the drug itself may not actually be present on race day.

"Doping is becoming more and more sophisticated in all sport and there is the potential for manipulation of one sort or another which could affect the performance of a horse long-term.

Trainers will be required to keep full records of all treatments administered to horses, the prime aim being to avoid the use of unlicensed drugs obtained from non-veterinary sources.

Foster said: "There will be two sorts of potential offence. The comparatively minor offence of finding a substance which does not tally with the records kept will merely be `Failure to Maintain Records'.

"The more serious offence would be to find something like an anabolic steroid which is illegal to be given to a horse in nearly all circumstances. If we find that sort of substance then we will take action in the form of suspending the horse from running for a period of time and deal very much more severely with the trainer."