The infamous Fallon race - Ballinger Ridge
 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D48WDjruPx8

looks horrible..

but how do you lose a race on purpose by a short head??

He sure as hell managed to do it Kev. Pretty bad acting there...

i don't know what other evidence they are looking at, but just watching that race doesn't convince me that he was trying to lose it.

The trainer himself has said the ride was awful. Who gives a horse a "breather" in the final two furlongs? The horse was moderate and they were desperate to get a win into him before he went to the sales, so the handicap mark theory goes straight out of the window.

They have a few races to look over and an Australian steward to cast his eye over them all.

They also have many records of phone calls and text messages, which really don't look good on Fallon's part. The views of other jockeys (who you'd think would be on his side) don't look/sound great for him either.

You're right when you say it's impossible to lose a race by a short head, but he looked certain to be beaten further than that, and the winner didn't go on as expected. I remember seeing the betting patterns for this race before hand and it looked very 'fishy', especially when connections really fancied him and the Fallon factor.......... I still think he was meant to lose this race, but it got very close. No jockey would ease up that much in the final furlong if they had any sense at all, and Fallon certainly has sense.

just not common sense, it seems.

I am starting to think the guy is pretty stupid (and that comes from a fan of his).

If he is actually innocent, he should never have been mixing with these crooks in the first place, and certainly shouldn't have been texting the information that he was to people who had other jockeys bank account details in their briefcase.

It all sounds very, very 'fishy'.

Watching the Ballinger Ridge race on it's own only gives you half the story. The betting patterns beforehand were shocking.

To me, watching the race...that is as bad as it gets. He flat quit riding that horse for a bit. No other way around it...he was not trying to win that race.

You do see jocks easing up over here, but not in the same way Fallon did.

Fallon said he was giving the horse a breather........ what jockey gives his/her mount a breather with only a furlong to run? It was a very poor excuse.

I haven't watched enough races over there to comment on the them, but Fallon looked to be just flat cheating..

I remember seeing Tony Culhane on True Courage a fair few years back do something just as bad, if not worse than Fallon and lose a race he clearly should have won (not on youtube however!!!)

The whole story revolving around giving the horse a 'breather' certainly doesnt wash with me at all. I believe its Fallon trying to give some sort of rationale to his ride. It was a shocking ride and no one can argue otherwise. However, we do see rides like that, maybe 2-3 times a year here where jocks ease up with a furlong to go and the horse loses.

I doubt Fallon knew the extra info about the horse re: the sales.

fellow jockey Daryll Holland in particular wasnt quite as supportive as could have been expected in the trial, but lets not forget the amount of trainers that have voiced their full support of Fallon throughout the trial.

To me Ive found it quite odd that an Australian steward was giving evidence with regards to English racing where the two countries differ on many aspects of race riding, notably suspensions given out for riding offences.

TO use the old cliche, at the end of the day, this is the ride that got Fallon into toruble. If he won this race, he wouldnt have been on trial. He'll get away with it, I think, but just by the skin of his teeth..

theres a few things off my chest now.

mmsc, you're being ridiculous.

Thank you dear. :p

I'll spare you the rant.

It was Fallon who said he was giving the horse a "breather".

Yes, Fallon did know about the sales for this horse. The trainer has discusses that they were desperate to get a win out of him before he went to the sales and this looked the ideal opportunity for him, and he should be ridden positively (which he was until a furlong out).

Alan Jarvis has backed Fallon up, and he is only a crook anyway. Wouldn't trust him as far as i can throw him. Apparently what he said about Paul Scotney was just lies.

I now think he will get off, but not completely. However, i do think he is guilty.