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With Fallon’s return to the saddle getting ever closer, the gravy train media has gone into overdrive celebrating his imminent return – a 4 part "special" with Matt Chapman on ATR, a weekly column in the Weekender, RPTV’s 2 part "Fallon On Fallon" special with Brough Scott, The Telegraph exclusive interview with J A McGrath – I am sure there are others…..
Is there anyone else who finds this all a little unsavoury?
Kieren Fallon was (and hopefully still is) an exceptional jockey and in many ways Racing needs such characters to broaden its appeal. However, he has dragged the sport through the mud on numerous occasions and for me, the theme of this comeback should be that he now owes the betting public and the sport a real debt of gratitude for giving him yet another chance.
The hero-worshipping we are currently being subjected to is rather depressing – yet wholly predictable.
Thoroughly agree, TDK.
You can see him returning to the winner’s enclosure after a big race success and he’ll be lauded as if he had just invented a cure for the common cold.
All very grubby.
Good, in fact very good, jockey but unsavoury character the sport could well do without. Matter of time before he brings the sport inrto disrepute again IMO.
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Good, in fact very good, jockey but unsavoury character the sport could well do without. Matter of time before he brings the sport inrto disrepute again IMO.
Which will be long after he has reminded us – many, many times – of why he is held in such high regard by so many at the very pinnacle of our sport.
He starts with a clean slate with punters like me who haven’t saw him ride live before. It dosen’t bother me if someone wants to powder their nose. It’s his life.
the top of the tree in regard to his abilities as a jockey but the lowest of the low in relation to the person that he is
May be I have a more forgiving spirit, but I have always liked the chap. We all make mistakes. His crime was not to fix races but to be bloody silly and put a chemical up his nose. Is that anyworse than sticking alcohol down our throats in excess?
The greatest jockey that ever lived did time for tax evasion, was that any worse or better and yet we all welcomed Lester back and celebrated that great ride on Royal Academy. We seem able to forgive and forget Lester’s crime (and it is right that we should as he has paid his price to society), but call Keiran Fallon low life. Double standards big time
I am not condoning what he did, just asking rhetorically "he who is without sin chuck the first brick" to paraphrase someone else.
I say welcome back. He knows it is last chance saloon and if he blows it this time then there really is no way back. Frankly I don’t think he is that daft. lets enjoy this great rider’s God given ability and celebrate his return
I’ve said this before but will say it again.
KF did not operate in isolation.
He didn’t ride out his claim and his career was not exactly flourishing until….
Jockeys are vulnerable. They want to ride. If that means doing as told from those who matter, some (if not most) will. If trusted, obedient, and proficient, rides will continue.
However, he has dragged the sport through the mud on numerous occasions and for me, the theme of this comeback should be that he now owes the betting public and the sport a real debt of gratitude for giving him yet another chance.
Other way around actually. The sport should be glad he hasn’t mullered it further with the compensation claim, which he could have done but as we’ve always known, Kieren loves riding winners more than anything.
When the next Western European justice system bans an employee from work for 3 1/2 years for committing a first time offence that carries a small fine, let me know TDK.
Funny how the same clowns who were writing him off not so long ago are now salvering for an interview. (Matt Champan excepted)
I welcome back a masterful jockey…..nothing more, or less.
Celebrate? No, I only do Christmas and ve day by rule, but I look forward to punting his mounts.
His crime? snorting a non-performance enhancing drug, cocaine.
Was the sport tarnished by his actions? Not on your life, was it….come on…seriously?
If anything at all, it has shown what is largely viewed as an elitist sport in a true to life way – warts and all. Racing can hardly pick and choose it’s fans and the media are wisely making a deal of it, so it’s all positive.
The deluded, righteous and pigheadedness on this forum just cracks me up sometimes
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the top of the tree in regard to his abilities as a jockey but the lowest of the low in relation to the person that he is
For myself, I have neither the self-confidence nor the certainty to cast these sort of blanket condemnations. To listen to some of this moralising hyperbole of distaste, you’d think that if Fallon so much as ate peas with his knife he’d be due at least a 7-year warning off.
Fallon’s return will bring vivid colour, huge skill, and the occasional instant of breathtaking daring to the Sport; and that, I respectfully suggest, is all that those of us who have no personal axe to grind against the man should concern ourselves with. The rest is not our business.
I wouldn’t say that KF doesn’t deserve another chance and wouldn’t ake issue with any comments relating to his riding ability.
What I object to is the tone of the media’s coverage regarding his return – "they" are all competing to see who can blow Kieren’s trumpet the loudest
It’s a bit of a joke really, the last thing racing needs is another shady character hanging around the side lines, we got enough of them already.
I agree with Corm, it’s only a matter of time.
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It’s a bit of a joke really, the last thing racing needs is another shady character hanging around the side lines, we got enough of them already.
Over the years Fallon has been much more often in trouble for trying too hard, than for (allegedly) not trying enough!
Every sport and entertainment is filled with "shady characters hanging around the sidelines". Every business too. Even the Church of England is filled with unsavoury hangers-on.
And Fallon will be at the centre of the spotlight, not lurking in the shadows. His current friends the media, turncoat jackals that they are, will see to that.
I would say that Fallon’s return to race-riding is certainly news-worthy.
Pretty good jockey, used to be one of his earliest and biggest fans, but I have heard so many bad things about him that I have come to the conclusion he isn’t a very nice person.
I will never forget that look in his eyes when he was confronted on that Panorama programme.
The programme was crap and worthless but those eyes
Colin
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