For a few strides Kieren Fallon looked to be travelling as well as any jockey in the field as he made a brief return to race-riding in the Legends event at Doncaster on Wednesday, settled just behind the leaders on a horse with plenty of stamina. When he asked Kilbaha Lady to quicken, however, the six-times champion jockey got little response as Sammy Jo Bell, the youngest rider in the race, held on to win on Dubai Acclaim as Hammer Gun and Noel Fehily, who retired from jumps racing only a few months ago, tried desperately to chase her down.
Bell’s finest day as a jockey came in 2015 when, as a late replacement for Cathy Gannon at Ascot’s Shergar Cup, she rode two winners on the afternoon to claim the prize as the Cup’s top rider. Bell was still an apprentice at the time and seemed destined for a rewarding career in the saddle but she was sidelined for 10 months from May 2016 after fracturing her pelvis in a fall and finally handed in her licence in February 2018.
Bell, who is now the assistant trainer to Philip Makin, was riding Dubai Acclaim for Richard Fahey, who supplied the overwhelming majority of her winners during her five years in the saddle. “I’m really grateful to Richard for giving me a ride and it’s great to pay him back with a winner,” Bell said.
“I did only just hold on but that was me going too soon; the horse was helping me out. I’m not as fit as I used to be, I know that much, but we’re quite busy at the yard, so I haven’t done as much prep as I would have liked.”
Fehily and Hammer Gun, the 4-1 favourite, were just a short-head away from Dubai Acclaim at the line and would have been in front in two more strides. “The trainer [Derek Shaw] told me not to hit the front too soon,” Fehily said, “but I think I overdid the waiting tactics.”
Fallon, who needed plenty of lead in the saddle to weigh out at 11st 5lb, is a regular work rider for the Godolphin operation in Newmarket as well as the driver and mentor for his son Cieren, a promising apprentice. Father and son were sharing a weighing room for the first time on Wednesday, though neither could manage to find a winner.
“I thought I was going well enough to win,” Fallon said. “It was just when I asked her to quicken she didn’t let herself down on the ground.”
Epsom 1.40 Afraid Of Nothing 2.15 Thechildren’strust 2.50 The Dancing Poet 3.25 Allegiant 3.55 Big Storm Coming (nb) 4.30 Bring Us Paradise 5.05 Wiley Post
Chepstow 1.50 Sir Rodneyredblood 2.25 Max’s Voice 3.00 Kodiak Attack 3.35 Sky Vega 4.05 Severnaya
4.40 Gilt Edge 5.10 Ourmullion
Doncaster 2.10 Company Minx 2.40 Enbihaar
3.15 Glasvegas 3.45 Cloak Of Spirits 4.20 Drummond Warrior 4.55 Davydenko (nap) 5.30 Mutamaasik
Chelmsford 5.20 Last Surprise 5.50 Love Destiny
6.20 Across The Sea 6.50 Solar Heights 7.20 Harry’s Bar 7.50 Brasca 8.20 Conkering Hero