Fallon: The Fallen Hero Returns

Kieren Fallon, six times champion jockey, returns to horseracing after completing his eighteen month ban for drug abuse.

Fallon was born on 22 February in County Clare, Ireland and was only 19 years old when he first entered a race. Since then his life has been blighted by controversy, bad luck, pain and self inflicted damage. His first ban, which lasted for six months, was imposed in 1994. This was for violence he showed towards a fellow jockey, Stuart Webster, pulling him off his horse at the end of a race. On his return his promise as a jockey rapidly became apparent and he achieved a position as Henry Cecil's stable jockey. In 1997 he rode Sleepytime to victory for Cecil in the 1,000 Guineas and ended the year as champion jockey.

Another huge smear on his reputation happened in 1998. Sporting life claimed that he had cheated when riding Top Cess in the Newmarket handicap. However he sued the publication in court and won damages of £70,000.

The following year Fallon and Cecil had a falling out and he was fired, but it was not long before Sir Michael Stoute, that great spotter of riding talent, gave him a job. He went on to win successive championships, his sixth one coming in 2003.

In 2004 he received another smear. It was alleged that he threw a race at Lingfield but many observers could see that he had simply made an error. Later that year the police turned up and arrested him for race fixing related to betting. This time it was the News of the World newspaper who made the allegations, and following investigations by the Jockey Club, all charges were dropped.

Worse was to come in 2006, when he was charged with conspiracy. His British licence was taken away though he could still race in Ireland but four months later his love of cocaine caught him out and he failed a drugs test in France and received a six month ban.

His case did not come to trial until 2007, but the Judge rejected the case even before evidence was heard. He failed yet another drugs test, again for cocaine. The name of the horse he had been riding whilst high on cocaine was ironically MyBoyCharlie, and this resulted in an eighteen month ban.

4th September saw his return, his first UK appearance for three years.

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