Time for punters' hero Fallon to seek help

Fallon's rise from his humble upbringing in Co. Clare where he was one of six children of a plasterer, sharing one bed with three brothers on a regular basis, has earned him the respect of the man in the street.

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He commands an even bigger — some would say fanatical — following in Ireland where his perceived disregard for British authority is admired.

The Irish Turf Club permitted him to carry on riding when the BHA in Britain banned him while on the conspiracy charge which was summarily dismissed at the Old Bailey on Friday.

When, in June at Tipperary racecourse, Fallon returned from his six month ban for failing a dope test in France last year, he was applauded by the crowd as if it was the second coming — not someone allegedly rehabilitated from cocaine misuse.

It is admirable that Fallon's loyal Coolmore bosses had sufficient faith in him to put up £3million to fund his defence on conspiracy charges.

Mind you, they will now get a total refund from the British taxpayer.

But is it reasonable to expect hard-headed businessmen like John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith to pay his one million euro retainer only to wait around for 18 months — the likely ban he will receive from France Galop — while the jockey serves a suspension which will apply world wide? All sporting authorities now take a hard line on recreational drugs.

It is potentially dangerous — to fellow jockeys and to yourself — to be sitting on a high-tensile thoroughbred, worth millions, when your attention might be distracted.

Fallon's self-destruct button is never far from the hands that guided Dylan Thomas to a marvellous win in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe on the eve of his appearance at the Old Bailey.

But this time he may have abused his loyal supporters once too often.

He badly needs to seek help if he is ever to reconstitute his career and save himself from a spiral of decline.