In the final furlong, Fallon eased up his mount, Ballinger Ridge, who was well clear of the field. The pair were pipped to the post by Rye and Fallon was later found guilty by stewards of failing to ride out to the line.

The News of the World newspaper has now claimed the jockey informed one of its reporters which horse was going to win the race hours before it was run.

Fallon has been suspended for 21 days for breaching riding rules. The Jockey Club will investigate the newspaper claims separately.

Here, we explain the allegations and what they mean for racing as a whole.

By Cornelius Lysaght BBC Five Live racing correspondent

How damaging is this sort of publicity for racing?

Racing is continually aware of its image and the fact is that apart from the biggest occasions like the Grand National and the Derby, the only time racing makes the news is through screaming headlines like this.

And it will be disastrous if people start walking away from the sport because they put together all of the stories - some of which are ridiculous - about how corrupt racing is.

The impression put forward by this latest story is undoubtedly negative and it is ironic that it comes less than a fortnight before what could be one of the greatest moments, not just in racing, but in sport as a whole - Best Mate possibly winning a third Gold Cup at Cheltenham.

It is very depressing for the sport that the headlines created if Best Mate does win will be dwarfed by those given to these latest allegations.

What is Kieren Fallon accused of doing?

It relates to a race at Lingfield last Tuesday in which he rode a horse called Ballinger Ridge.

The horse was well clear in the closing stages of the race.

Fallon stopped riding, apparently confident he was going to win, then realised there was a danger from another horse.

By the time he got his horse going again it was too late and the other horse went past.

Fallon says he simply made a mistake.

But the News of the World says Fallon had tipped its reporters which horse was going to win.

How did the investigation come about?

The Jockey Club, the racing regulator, was alerted on the day because of unusual betting patterns.

It had already warned the stewards at Lingfield to particularly scrutinise the race.

Then this incident happened with Fallon being caught in the closing stages and the matter was passed on to the Jockey Club for a full investigation.

Is a jockey allowed to give tips on a race?

Well, Fallon says, in a statement he made through his solicitor, he thought he was giving information to members of the public and that it was quite normal for this to happen.

He also says the information that he passed on to these people didn't affect the way he rode the race.

How prominent is Kieren Fallon?

He is a six-times champion jockey in Britain. He is 39 years old and he is Irish, but he has been riding here for 15-20 years.

Over the last six or seven years, he has been head and shoulders above his rivals.

He is absolutely "the man" when it comes to Flat racing and he is obviously someone that punters latch onto because he wins so many races.

He says members of the public quite often ask him "Are you going to win this race?"

He says he was just answering those questions, but the News of the World disagrees and the Jockey Club is to use their dossier in its investigation.

The Lingfield stewards referred last week's race to the Jockey Club because of "unusual betting patterns" on a betting exchange. Are the popularity of these exchanges a problem for racing's integrity?

Betting exchanges (where punters can both back and lay horses) have been the biggest revolution in racing since betting shops were legalised in 1961 and are currently causing one of the biggest debates in the sport.

When used correctly and honestly, they are a massively good thing because they give the ordinary punter a real opportunity.

But they do broaden the potential for wrong-doing.

Any system where there can be something to be gained from a horse losing is open to a wider potential for abuse.