Bumper date for Fallon
Kieren Fallon has been granted a licence which will enable him to ride in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival next week.
The six-time champion Flat jockey is expected to get the leg up on the Jonjo O’Neill-trained Refinement, who runs 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 Irishman 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 next Wednesday’s closing event aboard the Martin Pipe-trained Buena Vista.
He landed the race in 2002 on Edward O’Grady’s Pizarro, who just edged out the Magnier-owned Rhinestone Cowboy in a pulsating finish.
Coral have cut Refinement to 8-1 from 12s.
