Kieren Fallon did his best to avoid the clutches of the media while Henry Cecil managed to put on a brave face as the shock waves from their startling break up hit Goodwood yesterday.
Champion jockey Fallon sneaked in through a back door of the weighing-room to avoid the posse of reporters and photographers lying in wait for him. Cecil, looking pale and drawn with eyes heavily swollen, came to the course later to saddle his only runner of the day, Enrique.
Earlier the champion trainer had announced that his partnership with Fallon was to be terminated on Sunday. Richard Quinn will take over as the number one jockey at Cecil's Warren Place stables, Newmarket, from next season.
The ending of the Cecil-Fallon partnership after just two and a half years came after a newspaper story last weekend reported that Cecil's wife Natalie had sex with a leading jockey in a shower.
Cecil, (56), on Tuesday night issued a statement disclosing the end of his association with Fallon but refused to go into the reasons for the sacking. After arriving at Goodwood the nine-times champion trainer, drawing heavily on cigarettes, wandered around talking to connections of Enrique before going down to the paddocks to saddle the colt.
He then discussed tactics with Fallon before giving the jockey a leg-up into the saddle of Enrique.
Quizzed on the split with Fallon after the race, Cecil said: "I've said what I've said and I'm leaving it at that."
Even less words were forthcoming from Fallon. The 34-year-old married father of three from County Clare ignored reporters as he strode out of the weighingroom for the ride on Mutanassib in the first race.
He continued to remain tight-lipped throughout the day on the implications of the sacking which threatens to wreck his career. In the statement Cecil said: "Kieren Fallon will ride for Warren Place, and my owners who have been so loyal to him, through Goodwood week and he will ride Endorsement in the Prix de Pomone at Deauville on Sunday.
"He will, I know, keep himself fit and well and ride to his full ability on those horses that he knows so well for the sake of all involved. After that our association will be permanently terminated.
"Next season, Richard Quinn will become the first jockey at Warren Place and Willie Ryan will continue as my very able and invaluable friend and second jockey."
The break up comes at a time when the Fallon-Cecil partnership, at least professionally, was flourishing. It was a surprise back in August 1996 when Cecil announced that the fiery Fallon, who had had several run-ins with officialdom and jockeys, was to be his stable jockey.
The pair got off to a slightly dodgy start with Fallon heavily criticised for his riding of Bosra Sham in the 1997 Eclipse Stakes. But the stir over that incident soon died down and Fallon went on to be champion jockey that season and last year. The 1999 campaign promised to be the best yet with Fallon and Cecil winning three of the first four British Classics staged.
The pressure did not appear to effect Fallon's riding. He gave a determined performance to finish second on Mutanassib in the first race. At the end of a gruelling day the Irishman emerged victorious when bringing Zuhair with a powerful late run, taking his tally for the season to 120. As he dismounted Fallon said: "That was good - I enjoyed that."
The winner is trained by David Nicholls who said: "Kieren's a top man and he's riding at the top of his game."
From Monday, Fallon will have to rely on a variety of trainers like Nicholls if he is to hold on to the jockeys' title.
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