Champion jockey Kieren Fallon has been handed an 18-month ban by France Galop
following a disciplinary hearing at the French racing authority’s Paris
headquarters. Fallon failed a drug test after partnering Myboycharlie (Danetime)
to victory in the Prix Morny (Fr-G1) at Deauville last August, and results on a
secondary sample confirmed those findings. The ban is expected to be
reciprocated worldwide.
It is the second time Fallon, who was cleared of race-fixing charges at
London’s Old Bailey in December, has tested positive for a banned substance in
France. He incurred a six-month ban for a similar offense at Chantilly in 2006.
Fallon, 42, has already appealed France Galop’s decision, and that may affect
the starting date for the suspension.
“Usually a suspension will start nine days after the decision has been
announced,” Henri Pouret of France Galop told The Racing Post, “but
seeing that the person in question has appealed, those dates could change.
“Now our appeal commission at France Galop will meet and will examine the
appeal,” Pouret said.