Fallon Follows Triumph With Court

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Irish Voice Sport

Fallon Follows Triumph With Court

By Cathal Dervan

KIEREN Fallon put his trials and tribulations to one side as he steered Dylan Thomas to a famous win in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in Paris on Sunday to record a first win in the big race for Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien. Fallon, who appeared in court in London on Monday on race fixing charges that threaten his career, had to survive a nearly hour-long steward’s enquiry after claims his mount interfered with three other runners after the dual Irish Champion Stakes winner hit the front inside the final furlong.

Mick Channon’s Youmzain put it up to the Irish wonder horse in the sprint for home, but Fallon managed to pull the horse home in first place with Youmzain second, Sagara third and hot favorite Authorized well beaten.

Winning trainer O’Brien said, “He has hardly ever been beaten over a mile and a half. The ground is a big thing for him but he has overcome that today. He is a super horse. Kieren gave him a masterful ride and he is a master in the saddle.

“This is a marvelous race, we have always wanted to have the winner and great credit must go to everybody at home. There are so many people involved that have made this happen.”

Fallon, a native of Co Clare said, “It’s hard to say what I feel like. This is probably one of the best days of my life.”

Joint-owner Michael Tabor said, “I didn’t see the incident, it was all a blur to me. He came across Zambezi Sun but he was well beaten so it hasn’t affected the result. In England it wouldn’t be a question but in France it is a bit more uncertain.

“I don’t know what to say. Dylan Thomas has been on the go all year and a couple of the races he has lost this year he has had some hard luck.

“We always knew how good he was but on this ground it is an extra-special performance. He’s by Danehill so let’s hope he is the successor to Danehill.

“This is as sweet as it gets. But before the race when we discussed it I was saying why run in the Arc as we have Soldier and the ground is wrong. But Aidan said he is the type of horse who needs to run and here we are.”

Unhappy Seeds

KERRY and Cork will be seeded for next year’s Munster football championship and the decision has not gone down well with Limerick boss Mickey Ned O’Sullivan.

“The Munster Council, supposedly there to promote the game, has made a strictly financial decision. They are only paying lip service to the weaker counties when they talk about developing the game and then they go and destroy the footballing hopes of those counties,” he said.

“It is a step backwards in the promotion of football and this is sticking two fingers up to everybody.”

Change Afoot?

CROKE Park officials are refusing to comment on newspaper reports that the under-21 and minor grades will be replaced by a new under-19 competition on a trial basis next year if the proposal is passed at Congress.

Plans are also afoot to replace the current “ticking” system used by referees with a two yellow card system.

The proposals, if rubber-stamped, would see a player being sent off for the rest of the match — with a replacement coming on — if he received two yellow cards.

GAA Shorts

BILLY Morgan’s career as Cork football manager could be over after he was hit with a six month sideline ban by the Central Hearing’s Committee arising out of an incident in the All-Ireland Football final against Kerry when he verbally abused a lineman. Morgan says he’s been left speechless by the ban. “I’m so sick that I can’t even talk about it,” claimed Morgan. “There’s no justification to it at all.” . . .

ROSCOMMON football boss John Maughan has left the door open for an inter-county return for star forward Frankie Dolan. “I think I’m still good enough to play for Roscommon,” said Dolan. “We’ll just have to wait and see what John Maughan’s intentions are.” Maughan then said, “My opinion is the one that counts. The door is never shut on any footballer in Roscommon.” . . .

KILKENNY hurling star John Tennyson faces a lengthy period on the sidelines after he ruptured his cruciate knee ligament in a club game. Cats full-back Noel Hickey meanwhile won’t have to undergo an operation on his troublesome hamstring and has been told that rest will cure the problem before the start of the NHL . . .

CLARE hurling legend Davy Fitzgerald underwent surgery to repair a serious finger injury in Galway on Sunday after he was injured playing for his club Sixmilebridge as they lost to Crusheen in the semifinal of the county SHC . . .

WEXFORD and Kilkenny won’t join the Leinster SHC until the semifinal stage next year. Offaly, Laois, Dublin and Westmeath will play off in two quarterfinals to determine who joins Wexford and Kilkenny in the semis . . .

FORMER Wexford star Liam Dunne may have played his last game of hurling after he broke his finger during Oulart-the-Ballagh’s Wexford SHC semifinal win over Rathnure on Sunday . . .

CARLOW youngster Brendan Murphy is set to join Kerry’s Tadhgh Kennelly at the Sydney Swans Aussie Rules side after he was offered a pro contract by the Australian outfit . . .

FORMER All-Ireland winner Jim Gavin is the new manager of the Dublin under-21 footballers while Meath great Gerry McEntee has been put in charge of the Dubs’ minor team . . .

DUBLIN selector Brian Talty has ruled himself out of the race to become the new Carlow football manager, but former Meath boss Eamonn Barry is still in the frame . . .

JUSTIN McCarthy will be in charge of the Waterford hurlers for a seventh year after he was returned to office at a county board meeting on Monday night . . .

DOWN goalkeeper and Ireland compromise rules international Mickey McVeigh has retired from inter-county football after 12 years in the Mourne squad . . .

THE country’s top footballers and hurlers have issued new strike threats in the GPA’s long running feud with Croke Park over the issue of player grants . . .

TONY Considine could link up with Galway hurling boss Ger Loughnane just weeks after he was removed from office as manager of the Clare hurlers . . .

FORMER Down player James McCartan has refused to react to speculation linking him with the vacancy as Fermanagh football manager . . .

WATERFORD hurling ace Ken McGrath faces surgery to repair an acute pubic bone injury.

McIlroy’s Card

RORY McIlroy has been backed to become the youngster Ryder Cup player ever after securing his European Tour card after only two events with a third placed finish at the Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland last Sunday.

Former tour star Chubby Chandler handles Mclroy and said, “I knew he was good, but I had no idea he was that good. How pleased am I with signing him now? It was just staggering to watch him close up.

“I’ve told Rory that he has just rewritten what was being mapped out for him. I can’t see him playing in anything that does not carry cup points.”

McIlroy would be four months younger than current record holder Sergio Garcia if he plays against the U.S. in Kentucky next September, and his third place finish in Scotland will earn the Co. Down teenager some serious Ryder Cup points.

“I knew at the start of the week I needed to do something pretty special to get my tour card and I am absolutely ecstatic,” said McIlroy. “There have been a lot of great players come into the game pretty young, obviously Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia and I’m trying to take it all in my stride.

“When I talked about my chances of making the card this week to Lee Westwood he told me I could win the tournament. When someone like Lee tells you that it gives you a lot of confidence. Hopefully this is a huge step for bigger and better things.”

Sports Shorts

DARTS: Phil Taylor defeated James Wade in straight sets to win the Irish Players Championship at the Citywest Hotel in Dublin on Sunday but was then bundled out of the first round of the World Grand Prix in Dublin by qualifier Adrian Gray on Monday . . .

ATHLETICS: Clare’s William Loughnane turned in the performance of a lifetime at the Special Olympics in China on Tuesday when he won a total of seven medals in artistic gymnastics with six gold medals and one bronze medal in vault . . .

SHOW JUMPING: Antrim’s Jessica Kurten is to challenge the positive result of a second test on her horse Castleforbes Maike, at an event in La Baule in France last

May . . .

RUGBY: IRISH official Allain Rowland will take charge of the Rugby World Cup final in Paris on Saturday week. England meet France and Argentina tackle South Africa in this weekend’s semifinals . . .

MOTORSPORT: Sligo’s Shaun Gallagher has won the rookie of the year title in the World Rally Championships.

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