Keiren Fallon has been given the go-ahead to ride Aidan O’Brien’s Recital in Saturday’s Epsom Derby in the High Court this morning.
Fallon has spent just about as much time in the Old Bailey as the winners’ enclosure over the last few years, but has – pending an appeal – come out on the right side of this latest joust with the wigs.
Mr Justice MacDaff, who by all accounts is not actually a Simpsons character, put the boot into the “deliberate selfishness” Fallon showed by unilaterally terminating an agreement with Ibrahim Araci, the owner of another of Saturday’s Derby entrants, Native Khan.
However, after much intellectual discourse, it seems “deliberate selfishness” is not actually an offence and the judge saw no reason to bar Fallon from riding another horse in Saturday’s Classic.
It is expected that the multiple former champion jockey will be forced to cough up to compensate Araci.
Displaying a suspiciously admirable depth of racing knowledge, as well a nervous tic which hinted at a possibly hefty ante-post wager on Fallon’s mount, MacDaff said, “There is no doubting that an injunction preventing Kieren Fallon from riding in the premier classic, whatever his behaviour, would be severe. Such an injunction would be, for one short day, a restraint of trade.
“The owners of Recital, who for all I know are innocent victims in this, would have difficulty getting a substitute jockey at such a late stage, certainly one of Fallon’s stature. I also have in mind that the betting public to date have placed wagers in the belief that Recital would be partnered by Kieren Fallon. There is no doubt that his chances would be reduced with a different rider.”
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