POTENTIAL jurors in the race-fixing trial involving Kieren Fallon and two jockeys from the region were yesterday told they could not serve if they had bet on any of the races in question.

The 100 members of the public were given a questionnaire that asked if they had bet on one of 27 horses and the running in certain races.

The six-times champion jockey, two other jockeys and three other defendants deny conspiring to fix races. They were at the Old Bailey to see the jury selection for the four-month trial, which starts next month.

The questionnaire states: "The prosecution case concerns an allegation that a number of horse races were "fixed", to put it colloquially.

"It follows that if the prosecution allegation is right, then anybody who was involved in betting in those races may be a victim of this alleged offence. That being so, it would obviously be inappropriate for such a person to sit on this jury."

Jurors will also be barred if they had any connections to racing. The accused, who are all on bail, are alleged to have taken part in a plot to defraud gamblers using the online Betfair exchange. Fallon, 42, formerly of Newmarket, Cambridgeshire, but now of Tipperary, Ireland, is being tried alongside fellow jockeys Fergal Lynch, 29, from Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire, and Darren Williams, 29, from Leyburn, North Yorkshire.

Also charged are Lynch's brother, Shaun, 37, from Derry, Northern Ireland, former racing syndicate director Miles Rodgers, 38, from Silkstone, South Yorkshire, and Philip Sherkle, 42, from Tamworth, Staffordshire.

They are accused of conspiracy to defraud between December 2002 and September 2004 by interfering with the running of horses to ensure they lost, defrauding Betfair customers.

Mr Rodgers is also accused of concealing the proceeds of crime.