Fallon in demand for Champions' Day
Kieren Fallon is a man in demand on Champions’ Day on Saturday week, with his services already snapped up for both Group One races.
With Jamie Spencer suspended, Fallon has come in for the ride on Sariska in the Emirates Airline Champion Stakes, while Eoghan O’Neill has requested him for Maroon Machine in the Jumeirah Dewhurst Stakes.
Fallon will accompany Sariska in a piece of work this week and thinks she could be the “one they’ll have to beat” at Newmarket.
Michael Bell and Lady Bamford’s filly won the English and Irish Oaks before she suffered a surprise defeat to Dar Re Mi in the Yorkshire version.
Bell later reported the Pivotal filly to have come into season prior to the race but she bypassed last weekend’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe due to quick ground.
She is a 5-1 chance with both Paddy Power and Stan James to bounce back to form at Headquarters.
Fallon said: “She’s a class filly and I’ll be praying for rain. She ran a great race at York on ground that was on the quick side for her.
“Dar Re Mi has come out and ran a great race in the Arc, so the form has been franked. She’s a filly that travels really well and stays well so I don’t think it (the mile-and-a-quarter trip) will be a problem.
“If she gets the soft ground, she’s the one they’ll have to beat,” the jockey told At The Races.
Bell added: “Jamie is suspended so I had a look at the ones who were available. A couple had already got rides and obviously a lot of people would like to ride her, but Kieren is top-class and we’re happy to have him. He’ll ride her in a piece of work on Wednesday.”
Fallon has another chance of glory for O’Neill, who divides his time between stables in northern France and at Southwell.
In addition to Maroon Machine, the trainer also booked the rider for Green Dandy, who was fifth in Sunday’s Prix Marcel Boussac.
He reported: “Maroon Machine was very impressive when winning at Saint-Cloud last Friday. He’s definitely going for the Dewhurst and Kieren Fallon is going to ride him.”
