Kieren Fallon will face trial on corruption charges in the Old Bailey in London next September after the controversial jockey's application to have those charges dropped failed yesterday in the High Court.
It is a crippling blow to the 42-year-old former champion jockey's hopes of being able to return to race-riding in Britain this season and it rules him out of next week's Royal Ascot festival.
As a result of yesterday's decision, Michael Kinane has been heavily backed to be the leading rider at next week's royal meeting.
Fallon was banned by the Horse Racing Authority (HRA) last July when he was charged as part of a City of London police investigation into race-fixing that was the biggest investigation into racing corruption held in Britain.
Along with two other jockeys, Fergal Lynch and Darren Williams, Fallon has been charged with conspiracy to defraud customers of the Internet betting exchange Betfair between December 2002 and September 2004.
This is the latest setback to Fallon, who only returned to race riding at Tipperary last Thursday after a six-month worldwide drug ban.
Fallon tested positive for cocaine at Chantilly last summer, but returned to the Paris track on Sunday for a Group Three success on his only ride.
However, a return to racing in Britain was described by the Co Clare-born rider as being his "main target" when he rode at Tipperary last week, and Fallon appeared then to be extremely confident the charges would be dropped.
Such confidence appears to have been misplaced, though, and racing's most controversial figure will now have to go on trial in a case that is expected to begin in London on September 24th.
With Fallon ruled out, the Aidan O'Brien stable will be looking for replacements on such high-profile runners as George Washington and the Gold Cup favourite Yeats, and Kinane is now as low as 7 to 2 favourite with VC Bet to be the leading rider at Ascot for the fifth time in his career.
"Mick Kinane was the only jockey the punters were interested in for the Royal Ascot top spot," said VC Bet's Neal Wilkins.
"Clearly it would appear he will be getting plenty of attractive rides from Aidan O'Brien next week in addition to the other top stables that have been using his services."
Missing out on such rides will be a bitter pill for Fallon to swallow, especially since he has said he feels he owes the Coolmore Stud team for standing by him since his HRA ban from Britain on the back of the police charges.
That HRA suspension was reciprocated in the US but not by the Turf Club here, or in France, where Fallon is still able to ride.
Kinane's new position as favourite for the leading rider title at next week's royal meeting means that his main rivals in the ante-post, Frankie Dettori and Jamie Spencer, are both 4 to 1 chances.
