Kieren Fallon rides Al Zir in the Derby
Epsom will be expecting a crowd over 100,000 for the Investec Derby on Saturday but one man who will be glad not to be a spectator now is Kieren Fallon.
The six-time champion jockey was facing that prospect until he was booked by Godolphin to ride Al Zir in the big race. The Medaglia D’Oro colt is one of three intended runners for Godolphin in the Derby and is expected to be joined in the race by Rewilding and Buzzword, who were both supplemented for the race on Monday at a cost of £75,000 apiece.
In what appears to be a game of musical saddles Ahmed Ajtebi, who was expected to ride Al Zir, will now switch to Buzzword. Frankie Dettori keeps the ride on Rewilding, previously trained in France by André Fabre, who will be a first Derby runner for Godolphin’s new British-based trainer Mahmood Al Zarooni. Rewilding earned his place in the Epsom line-up when he won a Listed race at Goodwood two weeks ago.
Simon Crisford, Godolphin’s racing manager, said: “Kieren Fallon’s record in the Derby is excellent. He was available and has ridden for Godolphin before.”
Fallon has always been the master of the pressure situations, which is what has made him such a prized asset in big races for the last 10 years, which is why he was hired to be Aidan O’Brien’s stable jockey. In the Irish Derby four years ago he rode a cool race to win for O’Brien on Dylan Thomas, just 24 hours before he was charged with conspiring to defraud. John Magnier, the Coolmore supremo, was full of praise for the jockey, and said: “If Ireland were in the World Cup and in a penalty shootout, the man I would pick to take the fifth penalty would be Kieren.”
However, despite picking up rides on Bikini Babe for Mark Johnston in the Investec Oaks and Youmzain for Mick Channon in the Investec Coronation Cup, Fallon was looking like finishing on the bench for the Derby, despite O’Brien having yet to declare his hand over jockey bookings for his five runners left in the Derby - following the defection of St Nicholas Abbey with a muscle injury.
There appeared to be an opening of the door to Fallon at Ballydoyle when he rode Viscount Nelson in the 2000 Guineas and he won on another Magnier-owned horse, Bewitched, trained by Charles O’Brien, at Haydock Park on Saturday.
However, there was no approach from his former employers this time, but the jockey was already looking forward to riding at the course that many regard as the supreme test of a jockey’s skills. As he told The Times: “Epsom is one of my favourite tracks and I’ve got good rides in the Oaks and Coronation Cup. I feel very confident going into the meeting. I lost my way for a couple of weeks and things weren’t going so well, but I’m right back on track now.”
Fallon has a record of three winners from 15 rides for Godolphin but it is his record in the Derby – three wins with Oath in 1999, Kris Kin in 2003 and North Light in 2004 - that is more pertinent. Few current jockeys ride Epsom better than the Irishman who is regarded by many as the inspiration behind that public gamble that saw Kris Kin well backed before he won the Derby and it will be interesting to see how the markets react to him riding Al Zir.
The colt, who is trained by Saeed bin Suroor, was a disappointment when finishing only ninth to Makfi in the 2000 Guineas last month but Crisford has already said that Godolphin are hopeful of a better showing this time. “We went there thinking he had place chances,” Crisford said. “Frankie felt that the slow pace didn’t really help him at all, he never really got into his full rhythm. He ran ok, but not as good as we were hoping for. But what we did take out of the race was that he definitely wants a longer trip.”
Kieren Fallon's Derby record: 1994 Party Season (15th); 1997 Symonds Inn (7th); 1998 Sadian (7th); 1999 OATH (won); 2002 Louisville (9th); 2003 KRIS KIN (won); 2004 NORTH LI GHT (won); 2005 Gypsy King (5th); 2006 Horatio Nelson (pu).
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