English jockey Cieren Fallon is excited to be in Sydney for Saturday’s Golden Eagle. He just wishes the $10 million race could have been run during NRL season.
Fallon, the son of former Irish champion hoop Kieren Fallon, has racing in his blood – but rugby league, and his beloved Super League champions Wigan, comes a close second.
Fallon, who will ride Lake Forest in Saturday’s big-money feature at Rosehill, grew up in the same neighbourhood as English international Ryan Sutton and is good friends with Canberra Raiders forward Morgan Smithies.
He was in the stands when Wigan won the World Club Challenge against Penrith at the start of the year and even posed with the Challenge Cup when Warriors coach Matt Peet once paid a visit to the races.
A feature of the Golden Eagle is that 10 per cent of runner’s prizemoney goes to a nominated charity, and Fallon will race for the Ricky Stuart Foundation – the charity established by the Raiders coach to help families with autism.
“I love my league and was even trying to watch England versus Samoa before I flew out here,” Fallon said. “I grew up in the same estate as Ryan Sutton, I met with Morgan on holidays in Cyprus, and we’ve remained friends since. I love watching Aussies Jai Field and Bevan French – at the minute, our team can’t be beaten, so it’s been great.
British jockey Cieren Fallon loves Wigan Warriors almost as much as he loves race riding.Credit: Kate Geraghty/SMH
“Every kid who grows up in Wigan wants to play league. We’ve had Kai Pearce-Paul also came out to the NRL, we’ve got a lot of good young lads coming through, so I’m sure you’ll try to take them off us as well.
“I played myself, I was a fullback, but I only lasted a couple of years because I was too small. I started riding at 18.”
Stuart has had plenty of success recruiting English players to Canberra. He signed Wigan favourite John Bateman after another English player, Elliot Whitehead, called him late one night after a few pints and insisted they get in touch.
“I have a close relationship with my English boys, and it’s wonderful to have one of Morgan’s mates riding the horse trying to win for our foundation,” Stuart said. A victory for Fallon and Lake Forest would deliver a cool $525,000 to the Ricky Stuart Foundation.
Wigan celebrate their World Club Challenge win over Penrith in February.Credit: Getty
Fallon’s parents separated when he was young, and while his father remained in the south of England to continue race riding at Newmarket, Ciaren moved to Wigan with his mother. He says he considers himself English rather than Irish.
He has remained in touch with his father, who won races all over the world – including Australia, where he won the group 1 Moir Stakes on California Dane in 2006, the same year he was beaten on Melbourne Cup favourite Yeats.
Fallon jnr said his father’s fame had been a help rather than a hindrance as he followed in his footsteps, and revealed Kieran would play a role in trying to help him win the Golden Eagle.
“It’s actually been a help having the name,” Fallon said. “I know people will ask, ‘Is he as good as his dad?’ but it’s never bothered me, and I have thick skin.
Cieren Fallon on English raider Lake Forest this week.Credit: Kate Geraghty
“The name helped kick-start my career. I got opportunities because of who my father was, then it was up to me to make the most of the opportunities.
“Obviously [trainer] William [Haggas] will give me my instructions for Saturday, but Dad will always call and go through races with me. Racing can be a tough old game, especially back home. I know when Dad retired, it was a huge weight off his shoulders, and he’s been only too happy to help me out.”
Haggas has an impressive strike rate when bringing horses to Australia, including group 1 success with Addeybb, Dubai Honour and Protagonist, but Lake Forest is yet to run beyond 1200m – 300m short of the Golden Eagle distance.
Fallon, who spent three months apprenticed to David Hayes before the COVID pandemic in 2020, said of Lake Forest: “He’ll love the quick ground, although I do agree there are questions marks over whether he will run 1500m.
“He’s a talented horse, has a lot of speed, this is a very competitive race, it’s an unknown because we haven’t taken on these horses, but he deserves to be in a race with such depth.”
Tom Marquand, Haggas’ main rider and no stranger to race riding in Australia, is in America for the Breeders Cup meeting, which created an opportunity for Fallon. He spent the week riding in trials, at a Wyong meeting, swimming at Bondi Beach, and reading as many rugby league stories as he can.
