KIEREN FALLON endured a nightmare start to his partnership with Sleepytime when the pair slumped to a humiliating defeat at Newbury yesterday. The jockey's Classic dreams appear to have been shattered after the winter favourite for the 1,000 Guineas was beaten into fourth place in the Fred Darling Stakes.

In a virtual repeat run of her last start at Ascot, Sleepytime found her path blocked when she should have been launching her challenge. But when she finally emerged from the pack a furlong out, she made little appreciable headway on the front three, led home by the Paul Cole trained Dance Parade.

Nevertheless Fallon, facing the first serious test of his new association with Henry Cecil, believes the filly was an unlucky loser. "I'm not disappointed. She just didn't get a run. If I'd been able to get out earlier, she would have won," he claimed.

"The lad (Peter Murphy) on Blues Queen was sitting there waiting for I don't know what and I was pocketed in with nowhere to go. But she finished full of running. She made up five lengths in two strides."

Ladbrokes and William Hill reacted by pushing Sleepytime out to 5 to 1 (from 2 to 1 favourite). Ladbrokes promoted Moonlight Paradise and Pas de Reponse to 7 to 2 joint favourites while the Godolphin filly is Hill's 7 to 2 clear favourite.

Cecil, whose Reams Of Verse and Yashmak are also prominent in the 1,000 Guineas betting, could not disguise his disappointment. "The race went badly for her. She couldn't get out and when she did she was hopeless," he said.

"She'll go for the Guineas. She hacked all the way round but when they quickened she couldn't get out. It's one of those things. I'm not worried about it, just disappointed."

In an eventful contest Dance Parade prevailed by three quarters of a length from Seebe, whose jockey Frankie Dettori received a two day ban (April 28th and 29th) for careless riding.