Racing:Kieren Fallon is keen to hit the ground running as he takes the first competitive steps to restoring his battered reputation at Lingfield tomorow. Most afternoons at the quiet Surrey course meander by without incident, but at 2.20pm the eyes of the racing world will be trained on the 44-year-old as he has his comeback ride.
Fallon has been absent from British racecourses since July 2006 due to a combination of the Old Bailey trial into alleged race-fixing, which ended in the judge ruling there was no case to answer, and an 18-month drugs suspension imposed by the French authorities.
Seven rides split between Lingfield and Kempton’s evening meeting show how highly he is still regarded.
A success for one of his opening-day supporters such as Ed Dunlop, Paul Howling or his old employer Michael Stoute will be most welcome.
“It is very important that I hit the jackpot on the first day and ride some winners,” said Fallon. “I feel great riding out every morning. I have ridden some really good horses for some really good trainers.
“I think I appreciate the game more, appreciate the people I ride for. I took them for granted before.
“I’ll enjoy it more too. I wasn’t enjoying it - my kids told me, why don’t you smile? I think I’m going to look at it a little bit different now.”
Fallon has been relentless in his quest for race fitness, helping on the Newmarket gallops in recent months and even riding out for Neil Drysdale on a family holiday in America.
“That has sharpened me up even more than before, because I was getting stale and I don’t think I was riding as well,” he explained.
“Before I got suspended, I don’t think I wasn’t riding as well, I wasn’t sharp out of the gate. But I kind of picked that up again.
“I was counting the days (to returning). I’ve never seen it any other way.
“I never dwelt. That’s history so let’s move on. Mentally I’m better than I was, I’m mentally stronger and I’m going to enjoy the game now rather than treating it really as a tough job.”
While it will be too late for this year’s jockeys’ championship, Fallon harbours a fierce desire to launch a serious title assault next season.
He continued: “There are a lot of new jockeys in the weighing room that I haven’t seen before and actually there are a lot of girls riding there now.
“They seem to be holding their own. The same old boys are still there. I had to compete against the likes of Pat Eddery, John Reid, Bruce Raymond and Wally Swinburn.
“There was a great generation of jockeys and today we have Ryan (Moore) who has come through, Seb (Sanders) is still there, Richard Hughes is doing well for his father-in-law (Richard Hannon), so it’s going to be tough.
“But I think I can compete.”
Fallon is taking encouragement from the success of 39-year-old Johnny Murtagh.
Murtagh took over from Murtagh at Aidan O’Brien’s Ballydoyle stable when the French authorities imposed his suspension.
“Johnny has proved that you can get stronger and even better because he is a better rider today than he ever was,” he said.
“He is focused and there is something there that is keeping him focused. And I’ll have that as well.
“Johnny has cemented himself in there and I know Aidan usually says that if something is written in concrete it is not written in stone, but it is with Johnny.
“He’s had great success and I’m on the other team now. To be honest, I couldn’t imagine (riding for Ballydoyle again) unless they had a lot of runners.
“Seamie (Heffernan) has been part of the team for a long time and is a very good rider, and Colm (O’Donoghue) when he comes to England, he’s really done well at Ascot, so it probably isn’t going to happen.
“I was riding for some great people in Ireland, in fantastic races and had some big wins, but I wasn’t enjoying it. Probably with the case on my mind all the time, that didn’t help.
“I think I was burning myself out - now I have had time to freshen up and I’ll get a lot longer out of the game.”