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Fallon secures treble for Cumani at Folkestone.

Just three days after returning to race riding, Kieran Fallon wrapped up a treble for trainer Luca Cumani at this afternoon's Folkestone Meeting.

Fallon started with a considerate ride on Diam Queen, which saw him get home by half a length in the Median Auction Stakes. But in the following race, he led from start to finish, and drove out his mount Sham Sheer to score by a head from race favourite Billberry. The hat-trick was completed when Fallon kept favourite Ordoney up to his work to land another Handicap prize for Cumani and connections.

Editor's note: Was there ever any doubt about Kieran Fallon's ability? This afternoon he showed all his old mastery of his craft, and providing he gets the mounts, he will be a serious contender for next year's Flat Jockeys Championship.

Yeats to have tough task.

Four time Ascot Gold Cup winner Yeats is still amongst today's fourteen remaining five day entrants for Saturday's Irish Field St Leger at the Curragh. But if he is to repeat his victory of 2007, he is going to overcome two very tough rivals in the form of Godolphin's Goodwood Cup winner Schiaparelli, and Dermot Weld's filly Profound Beauty, with the latter seeking to maintain her unbeaten record during the current season.

Aidan O'Brien has already indicated Yeats will only run if the ground is suitable, but the possibility of dry weather towards the end of this week could persuade him to give his old campaigner one last run in front of his adoring home fans at the Curragh.

Unbeaten juveniles on course to clash in Dewhurst.

John Ryan, the trainer of Superlative Stakes winner Silver Grecian confirmed today, if his unbeaten juvenile is successful in this Saturday's DFS Champagne Stakes at Doncaster, then he will almost certainly go forward to the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket in October.

However, to hold on to his unbeaten record, Silver Grecian will currently have to defeat seven Aidan O'Brien horses included in the remaining eleven entries for the Champagne Stakes, and while six of the Ballydoyle battalion have not set the world alight with what they have achieved so far during the current season, the seventh entry, Viscount Nelson, is extremely well bred and very highly regarded in the O'Brien camp, and is also unbeaten so far as a juvenile.

Elsewhere, Richard Hills, who rode Arcarno to victory in the recent Group 1 Darley Prix Morny at Deauville, has confirmed Hamden al Maktoum's unbeaten two year old is also being prepared for the Dewhurst Stakes. So if Silver Grecian remains undefeated after Saturday, it creates the situation where the winner of this year's seven furlong Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes will remain unbeaten for the whole season, and will almost certainly go into the winter as the strong anti post favourite for next May's Stan James sponsered 2,000 Guineas.

Tipperary Wednesday card lost to waterlogging.

With a course which is currently waterlogged, officials at Tipperary have already made the decision to cancel the meeting planned for this coming Wednesday - 09 September.

Furthermore, the Tipperary meeting scheduled for Thursday 10 September will be subject to an early morning inspection on the day of the proposed fixture.

If Thursday's meeting does go ahead, it will host the EBF Fairy Bridge Stakes which should have been the highlight of the cancelled Wednesday card. This will mean Thursday's meeting will consist of eight races instead of the originally scheduled seven.

Great Voltigeur winner supplemented into St Leger reckoning.

Peter Chapple Hyam has confirmed today, the Great Voltigeur Stakes winner Monitor Closely has been supplemented into the field for this year's Doncaster St Leger.

Following his front running victory in the Group 2 contest at York's Ebor Meeting, the three year old is reported to have shown plenty on his home gallops, and with owner Lawrie Inman now confident his horse is on an upwards curve, he has decided to pay the £45,000 to supplement Monitor Closely into this coming Saturday's final Classic.

Talking about the decision today, Peter Chapple Hyam said,

"Monitor Closely is in fine condition, and if this week's weather forecast is correct, he is likely to get his preferred good to firm ground at Doncaster. So as there is only one St Leger, we thought it was worth taking the risk he could duplicate his Great Voltigeur form on Saturday."

O'Brien desperate to win National Stakes!

With this weekend's Group 1 National Stakes at the Curragh being named in honour of the legendary Vincent O'Brien, the current incumbent at his Ballydoyle stables, Aidan O'Brien, seems determined to win the race named after his predecessor, for he currently has twelve of the eighteen remaining entries at today's five day decleration stage, and with Phoenix Stakes victor Alfred Nobel, and Futurity Stakes winner Cape Blanco heading the attack, it seems Aidan O'Brien holds the whip hand to secure victory in Saturday's memorial race.

Clonmel gets go-ahead.

An 8.30 a m inspection at Clonmel has given the green light to this evening's re-scheduled meeting at the Irish track, but officials are still wary of an adverse weather report which could still deposit more rain onto ground described as 'heavy'.

Sea The Stars now in top three.

According to ratings organisation Timeform, following his emphatic victory in Saturday's Tattersalls Millions Irish Champion Stakes, Sea The Stars has joined the historic racing legends of Shergar, Dancing Brave, and Dubai Millenium on a rating of 140, and only Brigadier Gerard - 144, and Mill Reef - 141, have ever had a higher rating.

The Yorkshire based ratings firm have also indicated, if Sea The Stars were to compete in, and win this year's Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe, he could become the highest rated racehorse of all time.

Murtagh suffers Dundalk tumble.

Having already won two races on the Ballydoyle runners Fencing Master and Man of Iron, Johnnie Murtagh was in search of a treble as he set offf aboard Hurricane Alley in yesterday's Oriel Handicap at Dundalk, but events took a nasty turn when his mount tripped and fell, bringing down fellow runner Queen Althea in the process. For a moment Murtagh lay motionless on the track, and medical staff rushed to his side. Complaining of pain on one side of his body, paramedics fitted him with a precautionary neck brace, but after a full medical examination, Murtagh learnt he had been lucky enough to emerge from the nasty tumble with nothing more than heavy bruising. Indeed, later today, it was confirmed Murtagh is to return to Dundalk for their meeting tomorrow evening.

York pay tribute to apprentices.

On the spot reports indicate York's Sunday meeting went ahead in sombre fashion, and the whole crowd joined in a minute's silence before the 3.45 pm feature race as they paid their tribute to the two young apprentices who died in the suspected arson attack at nearby Norton.

If nothing else, this sickening incident has shown the racing industry and its spectators can pull together in difficult circumstances, and if any positives can be taken from the untimely death of two young people, then possibly this 'together' approach should form the bedrock of the British racing industry as we go forward into the future.

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