Ouija Board can give Fallon a lift

Such absurd remarks do nothing for his image as a sportsman, yet Ouija Board's trainer Ed Dunlop remains adamant that Fallon is the best man to ride a filly billed as the ace in Europe's Breeders' Cup hand.

"Kieren is really fired up for this," he said. "We've had a long chat and after the problems he's had it's just the sort of challenge he will relish.

"From day one he has done a fantastic job with this filly and all year long he has felt she would be the right sort to take to Texas."

Fallon, who broke his Breeders' duck aboard Islington last year, can hardly wait to tackle the Americans in their own back yard again.

"The fall at Leicester knocked the stuffing out of me, but I'm fine now and the Breeders' Cup has always been one of my favourite meetings," he said.

"Ouija Board has been working really well and, provided she acclimatises, then she's going to be the one they all have to beat."

Dunlop gets straight to the point when asked how he would have responded had someone told him six months ago that he would be heading to Texas with a leading Breeders' Cup fancy.

"I would have thought you were taking the piss," he said.

"She was always our best, but our faith took a jolt when she was beaten at Newmarket last November. Fortunately, she's come a long way since."

Indeed she has. A runaway win in the Pretty Polly Stakes at Newmarket was followed by an even more impressive success in the Oaks at Epsom.

Further glory in the Irish Oaks paved the way for a fast-finishing third behind Bago in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and Ouija Board flew out to Texas yesterday with the $1million (£545,000) Filly & Mare race looking her most likely target.

Dunlop is reluctant to ponder what might have been, granted better luck in the Arc.

But Fallon, who was replaced by Johnny Murtagh having been claimed to ride North Light at Longchamp, has no such qualms.

"No blame attaches to Johnny, but she was unlucky to get hampered early in the straight and I think she was the best horse in the race," he said.

"She's a very adaptable filly, so I don't see the track being a problem, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what she can do over there."

Back in Britain, racing fans are looking forward to seeing whether Fallon and fellow riders Fergal Lynch and Darren Williams have a case to answer over the ongoing corruption investigations.

The trio will learn their fate when they answer bail next Tuesday, but the emotional baggage of recent months can hardly fail to follow Fallon as he rides into Texas this week.

What if the imminent loss of his title leads to a loss of respect from the young guns of the weighing room?

What if his great ally Sir Michael Stoute starts to weigh the costs of employing Fallon as stable jockey against the undoubted benefits?

What will happen when Fallon's feisty wife Julie holds a stewards' inquiry over the News Of The World's suggestion this weekend that he is the father of the baby that Newmarketbased racing secretary Sam Wallin is carrying?

Worst of all, what if the City of London Police decide they have enough evidence to level serious criminal charges?

Like the ageing gunslinger drawn into one more duel, Fallon will block out the negatives to play the man in black again at Lone Star on Saturday.

The real world, and that forbidding date with the City of London Police, can wait until another day.