And buoyed by his success on Islington in the Breeders’ Cup, he is hopeful of surpassing even that score as he prepares for the coming months with a new sense of focus.

Second on the Mark Wallace-trained Big Bad Burt on his return to the fray, Fallon looked as strong as ever as he tried to persuade his mount to catch all-the-way winner St Savarin in the Bet Direct on Sky Active Handicap.

“Can you see the glow?” said Fallon, as he returned to the weighing room afterwards.

“I feel good and I am raring to go. Dubai didn’t really work out the way I thought it was going to. The stable I was riding for wasn’t really firing and although it’s a nice place, you need to be riding winners.

“I had a good holiday and now I am ready to get on with riding winners.

“Winning the Breeders’ Cup last year helped me a lot. It had always been a real goal.

“I rode a total of 221 winners last year and I didn’t really push myself – I took a lot of Mondays off and had two weeks away in America.

“I won’t be riding at the Regional Racing meetings because although I could get lots of winners, I am sure that Sir Michael (Stoute) wouldn’t want me to burn myself out.

“It is my choice but I need to keep myself 100 per cent for the big races.

“It is great news that I will be riding the Aga Khan’s horses again this season because obviously it’s better to be riding all the horses in the yard rather than some of them and particularly when they are such nice ones.”

Fallon nominated Seb Sanders and Kevin Darley as his biggest threats to another title.

“Because Seb will be riding for Sir Mark (Prescott) this season, he is going to know where he will be five days ahead and that will help his agent pick up the cream,” Fallon said.

“He is a very capable rider and he could be tough to beat and you can never rule out Kevin either.”

Among the horses the 38-year-old picked out as being ones he was looking forward to partnering, he selected Russian Rhythm, Kalaman and Red Bloom.

Fallon’s return rather overshadowed a fine riding performance from Neil Pollard aboard the John Best-trained winner.

Pollard has been working hard over the winter to improve his style and has been earning some rave reviews, not least from the delighted connections of this winner.

St Savarin is being aimed at a valuable handicap at Chester by his owner, professional punter Dave Nevison.

Fallon also finished second on Hip Hop Harry in the Bet Direct Football Cashbacks Handicap, which was won by the prolific Fall In Line.

Peter Chapple-Hyam will remember the day fondly as he celebrated his first winner since returning to Britain from Hong Kong when Toronto Heights edged out Saviours Spirit in the betdirect.co.uk Maiden Stakes.

Chapple-Hyam’s wife Jane was representing her husband, who was visiting a sick friend in hospital and she recalled their last winner in England had been Atlantic Charter at Redcar in October 1999.

“I will be able to have a bottle of champagne and I hope Peter heard the race,” she said.

“I am sure there is another little handicap in this fellow as he will have come on for this race after his previous second at Wolverhampton.

“We have between 36 and 38 boxes at our new yard and we are fitting in nicely to our new life at Headquarters.”

Other training honours on the day were claimed by Gary Moore, who scored a 209-1 double with Gun Salute and Dolzago.