Murtagh Replaces Fallon

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Ardross

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According to the SL site

Johnny Murtagh has been appointed as number one rider to the Coolmore operation, his agent Eddie Byrne confirmed this evening.

The 37-year-old has ridden a number of big-race winners for Aidan O'Brien over the years, including the Epsom Derby on High Chaparral in 2002.

Byrne told PA Sport: "Johnny is absolutely delighted with the appointment, and to be riding for John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith.

"He'd like to thank Mick Halford and Ger Lyons, who have given him many winners in the last couple of seasons, and hopes to ride for them again when available.

"He's contracted to ride in Dubai until after the World Cup and then he will be coming back immediately. He is looking forward to his new appointment."
 
i hope coolmoore have the decency to make a statement about fallon's position with them, and if he still has one when his ban is up. before the latest drugs thing, he was still riding out etc and helping aiden. will this still be the case?
 
There is currently no onus on Coolmore to make any statement about Fallon specifically ~ likewise there is no possibility of him enjoying a day to day role in the operation at Ballydoyle. This is an altogether different scenario to the race fixing trial in that Fallon wasn't found guilty of any offence by the racing authorities and O'Brien et al were almost duty bound to stand by him. It's virtually certain that he was tackled by O'Brien over his association with "unsavoury elements" and his previous drug use. If his ban is ratified (an appeal is currently underway) then his relationship with his former bosses will surely be terminated once and for all.
 
According to the Telegraph on Saturday they have made some kind of statement, or so this piece would lead you to believe.

Coolmore split with Kieren Fallon
By J A McGrath
Last Updated: 1:07am GMT 26/01/2008


Read comments

Kieren Fallon's 18-month worldwide riding ban for failing a drugs test has finally severed the link with his strongest backers, the Coolmore team of John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith, a formidable group, who had maintained their backing of the troubled jockey in his darkest hours.

For even the most patient of men there is a breaking point and when Fallon received a second suspension for drugs abuse from the French authorities yesterday - he had previously been banned for six months in France on a similar charge - it was the final straw.

Last night, a trusted Ballydoyle contact confirmed what most in racing had been anticipating. "There will be no more backing for Fallon," he said, underlining the uncompromising nature of the split.

Johnny Murtagh, who stepped in to take a starring role for Ballydoyle last season, is to adopt a similar position this year, although he already has a commitment to trainer Michael Halford, one of the Aga Khan's up-and-coming appointments. Murtagh will continue to get first call.

Seamus Heffernan, such a stalwart all year, will continue as back-up to Murtagh and may well find himself shouldering added responsibility in big races in Ireland when his colleague is unavailable. Otherwise, Aidan O'Brien is expected to continue his policy of booking the best available.

Fallon has already lodged an appeal and no dramatic statements are expected from his former employers while that is outstanding. No date has yet been set for a hearing.

He appeared before French authorities on Wednesday as they inquired into the case of the jockey, whose B-test sample confirmed the original positive test for a banned substance believed to be cocaine. Fallon had failed the test after winning the Prix Morny on Myboycharlie at Deauville, on Aug 19. He had been banned last year for testing positive for a metabolite of cocaine in June 2006.

News of Fallon's latest failed test came on the day he and five others were acquitted of conspiracy to defraud Betfair customers by a jury at the Old Bailey in December. Elation at winning such a massive case evaporated when details of the drugs charge were revealed.

The Coolmore team had given their unqualified backing to Fallon. Although he had no retainer at Ballydoyle in 2007, financial and moral support were never in short supply as he prepared for an unprecedented racing battle through the courts.

The depth of disappointment in the troubled jockey has been widespread. It is not just his immediate backers who have felt let down by this latest controversy; even his staunchest fans find it hard to come to terms with his current situation, given the level of support he has been given to sort out his personal problems.

To say Fallon is at the end of the road as a jockey would not be sensible. He has such great talent - provided he is on horseback - and he could conceivably return. He knows nothing else.

But after burning his bridges with Henry Cecil, Sir Michael Stoute, and now O'Brien, if, aged 44, he can destroy his demons and make a fresh start, one wonders where he can turn next for a credible backer.
 
Well Murtagh's had a bit of a rollercoster career too. Still has John Oxx to thank for being where he is. Kept him on the road when he was in the ditch.....literally! Best of luck to him. Seems a really nice guy and a good jock as long as he doesnt make some of the silly mistake he used to five to ten years ago.

As for Fallon, maybe he will go back to where it all started and ride for Kevin Prendagast when Declan McDonagh gets a job in UK.
 
If Murtagh stays fit, healthy and on the straight and narrow he can have it all.

BTW the other point about Coolmore making a statement about Fallon is that Fallon's retainer was up anyway.
 
Murtagh looks the ideal replacement,
he is a very good jockey and Coolmore will have what they require.
 
Always struck me as a jockey that was at his best on the big occasion so this job should be perfect for him.

Earned it too with some excellent displays as deputy.
 
Personally I would much prefer Fallon to Murtagh as a punter. I think Murtagh is still capable of "mistakes" when it matters and can also be guilty of "showboating" in a Spencer style instead of pushing on and winning the race.

When riding for the Aga/Oxx he was often on a less fancied animal because Ballydoyle in those days had their 2-year-olds seriously wound up and they were nearly always very short prices. So the pressure was not has intense as it will be in his new job.

I remain unconvinced that he will be successful now in the spotlight once again, and considering the problems they had with Fallon this may prove to be an equally questionable appointment.

As for Coolmore's position re: Fallon. As I suggested in a previous thread, this goes way beyond the loyalty of a trainer/owber to their jockey. Coolmore is one of the biggest breeding operations in the world and is answerable to its shareholders. Continuing a policy of "using the best when available" simply wouldn't be tolerated indefinitely by business people staking billions on the breeding side of the business.

Performances on the racetrack are crucial to inflating the breeding values of the sires so they needed to move quickly once it was clear Fallon was out of action for another 18 months.

It is sad for Fallon that having won the Arc for Ballydoyle for the first time since Alleged he is replaced, but business is business and the decision is perfectly understandable.
 
Originally posted by rorydelargy@Jan 29 2008, 07:41 PM
There is currently no onus on Coolmore to make any statement about Fallon specifically ~ likewise there is no possibility of him enjoying a day to day role in the operation at Ballydoyle. This is an altogether different scenario to the race fixing trial in that Fallon wasn't found guilty of any offence by the racing authorities and O'Brien et al were almost duty bound to stand by him. It's virtually certain that he was tackled by O'Brien over his association with "unsavoury elements" and his previous drug use. If his ban is ratified (an appeal is currently underway) then his relationship with his former bosses will surely be terminated once and for all.
Click to expand...
im getting tired fo your onus's nd martin luther king speeches. after all the big wins fallon has brought to the operation, the least they owe is a public explanation as to what fallons role within their operation is, if any. simple as.
 
The least Fallon owed them was to reward the loyalty they showed him by steering clear of further controversy - whoops.

Given the circumstances, they owe him exactly the square root of f** a**. They're probably also avoiding too much publicity as the whole incident is a bit embarassing, hence no statement. Just quietly moving on.
 
This was from December after the drug test came to light:

"when Coolmore spokesman Richard Henry was asked if Fallon faced the sack, he replied that as the former champion did not have a retainer for this year, the question was "irrelevant"."
 
I think Coolmore have already done more than enought to support him in public.

Remember his innocence wasn't proven, the case simply collapsed due to the ineptitude of the prosecution case.

Also, he had already served a drug ban concurrent with his UK ban as a result of the race fixing trial.

With the latest ban coming on top of what went before he was fast becoming a liability. Coolmore is a business not a charity. As much as I found Fallon a great jockey and a particular friend of punters over the years, I fully understand Coolmore's position and believe they do not owe Fallon anything.
 
There is no need for that attitude Bar The Bull (and not the first example either).

The point is simple. Two cocaine related drugs bans, and a collapsed corruption case hardly inspire his former employers to feel compelled to justify their decision to seek a new stable jockey.

Do the Coolmore bosses really want their name dragged through the dirt anymore than it already has been.

Fallon was an extremely popular jockey where punters were concerned, and rightly so. However positive sentiments in this respect ought not to be allowed to cloud the reality of the situation Fallon now finds himself in.

I hope he wins the battle with his demons and returns to the saddle when his ban is over. He should p*ss the jockeys title as a freelance.
 
Gareth, correct, the law of the United Kingdom does presume innocence until proven guilty.

My point is that the trial collapsed before it went to the verdict of the jury. It is evident from the multitude of reports on the subject that the prosecution case was seriously flawed.

My suggestion therefore is that there maybe a nagging doubt in the minds of some, maybe the Coolmore supremos even, whether or not he was guilty. Add to this the latest cocaine ban and they simply ran out of patience with him.
 
Take the corruption case out of the equation entirely, and I think Coolmore would have made the same decision after a second positive cocaine test.

(Of course, whether Fallon would have been on the stuff if there had been no corruption case...)
 
I doubt his cocaine use had anything to do with external events. I imagine like most jockeys who use it he takes it as an appetite suppressant, which it is very good at.
 
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