Kieren Fallon was in Group Three-winning form in France yesterday but failure to succeed in having corruption charges against him dropped at the High Court in London will have much greater reverberations for racing's most controversial figure.
A decision on whether or not City Of London police charges into race-fixing will go to trial in September is likely to be made either today or tomorrow and although Fallon has expressed his confidence about those charges being dropped it will still be a hugely anxious time for him and for his Coolmore Stud employers.
Next week's Royal Ascot festival, the most prestigious week in the British racing year, could yet see the 42-year-old Irish star make a high-profile return to the highest level across channel where his list of Aidan O'Brien rides are likely to include the odds-on Gold Cup favourite, Yeats.
However, failure today will keep Fallon out of action in the UK until at least September when the case into Britain's biggest police investigation into racing corruption is due to be heard.
Fallon returned from a six-month drug ban with a winner at Tipperary last Thursday night, after which he described a return to racing in Britain as being his "main target".
The six times champion rider said: "I'm very confident of winning this thing. Hopefully I will be able to get back riding in England.
"That's my main target. All along I've wanted to get back riding in England more than anything else. It would be great to be able to ride at Ascot."
Fallon was banned from riding in the UK last July by the Horse Racing Authority, a move that was reciprocated in the USA but not in Ireland and France. However, a drug test taken in France just 24 hours later resulted in a positive test for cocaine.
That test was taken at Chantilly and Fallon was back at the Parisian racecourse yesterday where he landed the Group Three Prix Chemin de Fer de Nord on board Spirito De Vento.
The winner, trained by Jean Marie Beguigne, who won the French Derby with Lawman earlier in the month, came from well back in the mile contest to beat Multiplex and Passager and give his jockey the perfect Chantilly return.
"They went hard early on and it was hard to keep up. But he picked up and pace really helped. This is my first ride back in France and it is really exciting to win," Fallon said.
The jockey's legal team attempted for four days last week to argue against Fallon having to undergo a trial in the autumn and confidence appeared to grow that Fallon may even be back riding in the UK this week.
However, even if the jockey is successful in court, it is still possible for the HRA to take action against Fallon under their own rules. Yesterday, though, he paid tribute to his Coolmore employers.
"The boys sticking with me through everything has been amazing. After the ban in France I thought that was the end of it. I thought I'd be replaced straight away. I can't thank them enough. I owe them."
Frankie Dettori's dream run continued as he secured his third Classic in the space of eight days when partnering West Wind to victory in the Prix de Diane Hermes (French Oaks) on the same card.
Supplemented for €40,000 earlier in the week, the Alex Pantall-trained daughter of Machiavellian produced a superb turn of foot to outpoint her rivals.
