Fallon sidelined after Paris incident

The Oaks-winning Ballydoyle team face an anxious wait to find out when their number one jockey, Kieren Fallon, can return to action after the incident at Longchamp on Saturday evening that resulted in his absence from the Curragh yesterday.

Fallon was unseated from Eagle Mountain in the early stages of the Grand Prix de Paris after an incident with subsequent winner Zambezi Sun that Aidan O'Brien yesterday described as "the most bizarre thing".

O'Brien reported: "Kieren is sore and has a stiff neck and shoulder. But he was lucky. We hope he will be okay but he was very lucky not to be more badly injured. It was the most bizarre thing.

"Eagle Mountain got rammed from the side and from behind. The horse is cut behind but the two of them were lucky."

Fallon was stretchered from the racecourse in a neck brace but later left Longchamp with no problems and expecting to ride Peeping Fawn. However, less than an hour before his intended first mount yesterday, it was confirmed he would not be able to ride and John Murtagh took over in the big race.

"We all know Kieren. His neck could be broken and he'd still try to walk out for the next race. But he had a very sick tummy today which I think came because of the pain killers he was taking," O'Brien said.

"He is going to have to get X-rays and scans and we will know more after that."