Kieren Fallon
Le jockey champion irlandais, Kieren Fallon, a écopé d’une suspension de 21 jours le 8 mars dernier pour n’avoir pas monté le cheval Ballinger Ridge jusqu’au but. Ce dernier, qui était le favori de la course, avait une avance confortable de dix longueurs mais à cause du laxisme de son jockey le cheval s’est fait rattraper au poteau par le second favori, Rye.
L’homme de loi de Kieren Fallon, Christopher Stewart-Moore, a dit que son client était d’accord en ce qui concerne la sentence a ajouté : “We have now made formal admission of a breach and it is called non-wilful breach of rule 156, which, I think, is not riding a horse out to the finish line. I have given him my advice; he has taken it and he is agreeing to 21 days’ suspension”.
Les révélations de l’hebdomadaire “News Of The World” mirent le feu aux poudres en Angleterre la semaine dernière; en effet, le journal divulgua les dires de Kieren Fallon à un journaliste avant la course. “I’m actually down as the favourite. It’s not very good. The horse of Jamie Osborne’s (the trainer) going to win the race. A horse called Rye ”. De plus, il y a eu des mises suspectes avant la course en question.
Le journaliste s’était fait passer pour un représentant d’un “betting syndicate” des pays de l’Est qui glanait des informations pour accomplir des “gambling coups”. Selon le journaliste, Kieren Fallon déclara aussi : “If you are on this, then there are no limits to the bets...it’s not illegal for you, it’s illegal for us. As long as you don’t give me money ”.
Kieren Fallon n’est pas à sa première incartade. Ce jockey de renom international, plusieurs fois champion en Angleterre et en Irlande, collectionne les frasques. (Voir hors-texte: “TOP JOCKEY’S LIFE OF TURMOIL”)
Le “Jockey Club” traite cette affaire en priorité. “One of the key aims is to establish if there was any correlation between the suspicious betting patterns and Kieren Fallon’s failure to obtain the best possible placing. As part of that investigation, the Jockey Club will be interviewing Kieren Fallon”, dit le porte-parole de cette instance, John Maxse.
C’est une affaire qui ébranle le turf britannique et qui jette déjà le discrédit sur le monde hippique. Les enjeux sont énormes vu que les courses en Angleterre sont suivies et jouées à travers le monde. Et si les parieurs pensent qu’ils sont lésés, ils vont simplement arrêter de jouer. Le résultat peut être catastrophique.
Jean-Marc Edwards
TOP JOCKEY’S LIFE OF TURMOIL
Kieren Fallon’s amazing career has been beset by drama on and off the racecourse.
In 1999, Fallon lost his job with trainer Henry Cecil after his wife confessed to sex with a mystery jockey.
Fallon denied involvement and sued for unfair dismissal.
There have also been a string of bans and fines. In 1993, Fallon was told to pay £700 for not trying while riding Rafferty’s Rules.
The juvenile colt, placed in each of his three previous starts, finished 10th after appearing to be tenderly handled throughout.
And in 1997, he got a four-day ban for failing to obtain the best possible position at Doncaster. In 1994, he was banned for six months for dragging jockey Stuart Webster off his horse after a race.
Webster later claimed he suffered a broken nose in another clash.
In the same year, Fallon was given a seven-day ban at Thirsk for hitting fellow jockey Chris Rutter with his whip.
Two years earlier, he was fined £240 for striking his horse in an offensive manner. Several bans for irresponsible riding followed.
In January 2003, he admitted a drink problem and said booze had made things hell for his wife and children.
He told a newspaper: “What I’ve seen is the misery of my life, the waste of time, the stupid things I was doing.”