Cheltenham News: Kieren Fallon has been granted a licence which will enable him to ride in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival this Wednesday.

The six-time champion Flat jockey is expected to get the leg up on the Jonjo O'Neill-trained Refinement, who will be competing in the colours of Michael Tabor.

Fallon was recently snapped up by the Coolmore team to ride all the horses owned by Tabor, John Magnier and Derrick Smith after their retained rider Jamie Spencer sensationally quit the lucrative job.

The Clareman successfully applied to the Jockey Club for a jumps licence that will restrict him to riding in National Hunt Flat races, similar to the licence granted to Michael Hills in 2003 when he rode Be Fair in the same race. Spencer, who left Coolmore last month, is also planning to ride in Wednesday's closing event aboard the Martin Pipe-trained Buena Vista. He landed the race in 2002 on Edward O'Grady's Pizarro.

Coral have subsequently cut Refinement's odds of winning the Weatherbys Bumper to 8 to 1 from 12s. Missed Cut is the 7 to 2 favourite.

North of England raider Far Pavilions can bag the first leg of what could prove a lucrative double with victory in the Sunderlands Imperial Cup at Sandown today. That would put him in line for a £60,000 bonus if he goes on to land the Vincent O'Brien County Hurdle next week.

Trainer Alan Swinbank has not talked in terms of going to the Cheltenham Festival, but that would surely change if he does the business today - and his efforts so far suggest he has every chance of doing so.

The Halling gelding, whose juvenile hurdling form saw him account for Crystal D'Ainay at Haydock, has won six of his seven starts over timber and made a winning return over obstacles at Musselburgh last month after an absence of 651 days.