The news that filtered through this week that legendary Irish jockey Kieren Fallon will base himself in Sydney for much of the next few weeks is a terrific endorsement for Australian racing.
It also bodes well for The Championships, which runs in April.
Fallon is a terrific jockey who has had more than his fair share of controversy throughout the years.
He’s been stable jockey to three of the world’s best trainers – the late Sir Henry Cecil, Sir Michael Stoute and the Coolmore-backed Aidan O’Brien.
With backing from those powerful stables he was able to win six English jockey championships.
He had a short stint in Australia during the spring of 2006.
While his only feature success in that period was aboard California Dane in the Moir Stakes on Cox Plate day at Moonee Valley, he rode Aqua D’Amore to fourth in the Cox Plate and Yeats to seventh in the Melbourne Cup.
However, wherever he goes, controversy is not far behind.
In 2006, Fallon was charged with conspiring to defraud Betfair – a fancy term for alleging he fixed races. The charges were dropped in 2007 because of a lack of evidence, but the stigma stuck for a while.
Around the same time, he received two bans in quick succession for testing positive to banned substances. The second ban was for a whopping 18 months, which meant he was on the sidelines from January 2008 until September 2009.
Nevertheless, he quickly found form again and he continues to ride plenty of winners.
It’s a coup for Australia that such a talented jockey wants to ride in Sydney for the autumn, but it is just one step in the right direction. We should be encouraging plenty of overseas jockeys to come to Sydney, even if just for the two meetings of The Championships.
It was disgraceful recently when Douglas Whyte – a winner of the past 13 jockey premierships in Hong Kong – could not get more than one ride at the Blue Diamond Stakes meeting at Caulfield.
That was on Wez Hunter-trained Malaguerra, among the outsiders for the feature race. In the end, it is no surprise that he pulled the pin.
Even if The Championships is light on international runners, why not encourage the world’s best jockeys to come and have a ride?
Get the likes of Christophe Soumillon, Frankie Dettori, Joao Moreira, Yutake Take and Ryan Moore to ride alongside the likes of Damien Oliver, Hugh Bowman, Tommy Berry, Nash Rawiller, Jimmy Cassidy, Kerrin McEvoy and James McDonald.
Then it may feel like a real championship meeting of horse and rider.
I can already hear the gasps of horror from those pesky parochial Australians who think that the only beneficiaries of the best rides should be Australian jockeys.
But you don’t see Dubai sticking with locals for the World Cup meeting. You don’t see Hong Kong sticking with locals for their December card.
This is The Championships – make it the best of the best, no matter where they are from.
Fallon is just the start.
Big Philou was at the centre of one of racing’s biggest scandals when he was poisoned and scratched minutes before the 1969 Melbourne Cup as a heavy favourite. He joins The Roar more than four decades later to give his take on racing and maybe create some more controversy.
DIANA DONALD
Guest
I don't think most UK jockeys come with the idea of getting a full book of rides. Most try to get experience on all courses and I remind you anti British people on here that Kevin McEvoy was very happy to come to the UK for a stretch. The UK has jockeys from all over the world and that causes deprivation for UK jockeys. I don't care for the xenophobic and self interested comments on here. Your jockeys could leans good things from many of British jockeys and don't forget that UK horses have already run a full season by the time they race in big Oz races..
Alice
Guest
Do we really want, though, jockeys like Fallon riding in Australia? I don't doubt his riding skill for a moment, but the man has been accused of just about every crime in horse racing under the sun. Some of them there's even proof for. I know that it's ridiculous to expect that a jockey should be squeaky clean, but we should hold our jockeys to some standards, if only to provide reliable role models to the riders of the future and to give the sport a decent name. Just like why most people were disappointed in that the stewards let Damien Oliver ride throughout the spring carnival. Certainly let Fallon come and ride if he wants to, but I wouldn't go out of my way to recruit him, and jockeys like him, to the carnival. If the Championships become lucrative enough, they'll come anyway. I also agree with the comments above that it's unfair to say that Australian connections of racehorses are being "pesky parochials". Why should they hand over their rides to foreign jockeys on the off chance that they might have a good day? Surely it's better to stick with a jockey who knows the track, if not the horse?
rich argh
Guest
We don't want Fallon over here... He should come with a financial health warning. The master of Looking dead in the water and getting up once you have taken him on and equally gifted in appearing to be cruising with double handful and inexplicably missing a place !! The guy is a nightmare 'in-running'....Think Ibrahim Gungdogu x 10 !!! No thanks !!!
Bondy
Guest
I have a respect for european riders dont get me wrong I just think we're just as good, I'd seen Keiran ride for Coolmore very effectively at the time and my current favourite International is Ryan Moore I'm a massive fan. I dont mean keep them out its just going to be awfully hard to get rides I'd suggest. Spencers ride on that horse was top draw .
Justin Cinque
Expert
And in the case of the last point - if you've no hair then consider J Cassidy - keeping the money in similar circles is hugely important to those sorts of people.
Drew H
Guest
I've got this other theory re selecting a jockey. If you're an old bloke owner then put an older jockey on. If you're a woman owner then put on a female jockey, If you're ethnic then look overseas. If you've got no hair then consider J Cassidy. It keeps the money in similar circles.
Justin Cinque
Expert
It's a great comment Ryan, and a good reason why a jockey's championship may need to be properly organised like Hong Kong's jockey's championship is. In Hong Kong it occurs on the Wednesday before the Internationals over four pretty average midweek races.
Ryan
Guest
The issue is, as mentioned above, you cant just turn up and expect a full book of rides for a number of reasons. Generally, a fancied horse entering a race of any significance has usually had the same jockey for the past couple of races and trainers/owners are reluctant to replace a winning combination. Its hard to simply say "oh this guys a gun overseas, take (insert australian jockey) off him and put (international rider) on him" - when there is little to no reason to doubt the original rider. You are clutching at straws. Probaly decreasing the chance of success by backing against the jockey who has ridden at the venue 100 times before and the horse numerous times before. Also, relationships between jockeys are trainers exist on an almost continual year-round basis from picking up rides at Mornington to the carnival group 1's. Bringing in big name jockeys from overseas for the big races is a sure fire way to test the relationship. If the Jockey does all the riding at regional meetings, goes through the grades and wants to stay on it for its grand final; i can see their frustration and anger when some international jockey flys in for the quick pay day. I could go on, but really I am just against it. By all means I would love to see the likes of Whyte, Dettori and Moreira ride in Australia more often; but i dont think they can just expect to rock up and get a full book of quality rides or even a favourite in the showcase races. They sure as hell shouldnt be able to just rock up and jump on the favourite in a group 1; I do think these rides are reserved for Australian jockeys who do the hard yards on the horse and for the stable and deserve the opportunity to ride the horse in our major races.
Justin Cinque
Expert
It's ridiculous Alfred! Hopefully the administrators get some good jockeys out here and they ride some good horses.
Justin Cinque
Expert
By the way everyone, if you haven’t already, make sure you join our Roar Racing Stakes Star Stable league – 208902. Already, we’ve got an English Grand National-sized field. Cox Plate quality though ;)
Justin Cinque
Expert
In my riding book, you can't break any riding rules when you show initiative. He got trapped wide, sent a good horse to the lead, got a cheap lead and lifted the horse in the straight to win a $1m race. I loved it! I can't remember if I backed Side Glance - I think I could have saved on him - but that's beside the point.
Alfred Chan
Expert
Australian trainers are too loyal. International jockeys who come out here on their own freewill will not get the attention they deserve and Fallon will struggle to get too many rides in single figures. We saw it when Joao Moreira came over for the Newcastle festival last year. He had terrible rides but made something of nothing. However, I would rate Moreira higher than Fallon because the English riding style pisses off a lot of our horses. The only way the internationals get a good book of rides is if one of the big stables bring them out, similar to what David Hayes did for Oisin Murphy.
Alfred Chan
Expert
A gem? He broke just about every riding rule we have haha.
Justin Cinque
Expert
Big Philou, It's a good point you make. The Championships are only Championships in an Australian sense. They are not World Championships this year. But a great line-up of jockeys from around the world could give it an air of a Jockeys World Championships. I'd love to see the ATC and Racing NSW get seven or eight great riders out for the meeting. It would be fantastic. How good did Spencer look when he lifted Side Glance in the Mackinnon. That riding style had not been exhibited at Flemington for decades I'd assume! http://youtu.be/OTtLAsB6qxI?t=1m24s
Justin Cinque
Expert
That's a very common Aussie attitude Bondy (our jockeys have got Fallon covered)! One that I would definitely have exhibited a few years ago. For whatever reason, I don't think European jockeys get a lot of respect in Australia. Perhaps, it's because they disappoint in the Melbourne spring with their limited opportunities. Our racing is so different and in the best races they are sometimes caught out. But even that argument is limited. I thought Jamie Spencer's winning ride on Side Glance in the Mackinnon was a gem. You can't buy class and I'd happily have a great overseas jockey ride one of my horses in an important race. But, it would be under the proviso that they get some advice from a local on how to ride the track. I guess that's where the overseas jocks can go wrong - they ride places like Flemington completely wrong.
Bondy
Guest
I think our local hoops have got Fallon covered . You can't just turn up for big prizemoney and think your going to receive a near full book of rides it doesn't work like that anywhere in the world .
Drew H
Guest
Have we seen many jockeys get a ban in their best stints of riding? Perhaps top performance and bans go hand in hand. I remember one of A. Robinsons's bans that occured in a period that I would call career best riding. Jockeys all must stay on the curve, or else the handicapper will come in.