Racing:The Coolmore Stud syndicate have insisted that they will use a "best available" policy in regard to jockeys next year as the furore over Kieren Fallon's positive drugs sample lingered over Irish racing's big awards ceremony in Dublin yesterday.
Fallon's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winning partner Dylan Thomas was named horse of the year at the Horse Racing Ireland Awards at which Jim Bolger won the flat race award for 2007 and Ruby Walsh landed the jumps prize for the fourth year running.
However, the impact of the six times champion jockey's positive test at Deauville last August continues to dominate headlines as official news of the crucial "B" sample from France-Galop is awaited.
There has already been speculation that Johnny Murtagh will officially take over from Fallon as the number one jockey at Aidan O'Brien's powerful Ballydoyle yard in 2008 but that suggestion was denied by Coolmore Stud yesterday.
"2007 was a perfect example of how we used the best available jockeys on the day and that policy will continue," a Coolmore spokesman said. "This year there have been occasions when there have been runners in two or three jurisdictions and we have used the best jockeys we can get. As of now, that will continue to be the case."
Murtagh picked up many valuable spare rides for O'Brien last season during the period Fallon was ruled out of riding in Britain due to a British Horseracing Authority ban.
However, the services of O'Brien's former number one, Michael Kinane, were also used, while Séamus Heffernan was employed extensively in Ireland in the first half of the season until Fallon completed a six-month worldwide suspension for cocaine use in early June.
Just two months later, the controversial six-times former champion jockey provided another positive drugs test in France on the day Myboycharlie won the Prix Morny at Deauville.
Depending on the results of the "B" sample, French racing's ruling body, France-Galop, face the prospect of holding a hearing for Fallon and then deciding on a penalty for a second positive test in just over 13 months.
There are no set penalties for such an offence and significantly, a French jockey found guilty of a similar second test recently, received just a one-year suspension which did not follow the precedent set by Irish rider Dean Gallagher who was banned for 18 months in 2002.
A brief respite from Fallon's troubles came for the Ballydoyle-Coolmore team yesterday when Dylan Thomas added the HRI award to an earlier Cartier prize for European horse of the year in 2007.
As expected, the Arc and King George winner beat five other nominations, including New Approach, Sublimity and Peeping Fawn, to the award despite an anti-climactic end to his racing career in Hong Kong on Sunday.
The Coolmore manager Christy Grassick, said that Dylan Thomas will begin his stud career at Coolmore early in 2008 and added: "It's fantastic to stand such a great horse and it's a great opportunity for the stud."
O'Brien paid tribute to his former stable star and said: "I think that Arc was a special race. It was special for everyone, special for Kieren, and special for the horse.
"He was an unusual horse. He had a month to five weeks of things being easy towards the end and he just got unfit. He was made of iron and we'll all miss him. It's a shame that he's going but Christy arrived down with the box and we couldn't stop him!"
Ruby Walsh confirmed that Christmas remains his intended return date from injury and was in philosophical form regarding the hot-streak enjoyed by Paul Nicholls's horses in recent weeks.
"Sam Thomas has done a wonderful job and has handled the pressure really well. It's been difficult watching them win but sometimes it's part of the job," said the champion jump jockey. "I hope to be back by Christmas and I'll know more on Thursday. If it isn't good news, I think I'll go to Australia for Christmas!"
The Grand National winning trainer Gordon Elliott won an "outstanding achievement" award for his remarkable 33 to 1 success with Silver Birch at Aintree last April, while jockey Derek O'Connor landed the point-to-point award.
Race stopped at Wolverhampton
There was drama at Wolverhampton yesterday as the opening Amateur Riders' Handicap was halted midway through the race. Brendan Powell's Thyolo collapsed to the floor inside the first furlong and unshipped jockey Laura Gray, who was carried off the track on a stretcher.
The rest of the jockeys continued riding but needed to pull up their mounts with Powell's gelding prostrate on the course. The race was declared void with all bets refunded. Clerk of the course Gemma Charrington said: "She (Gray) has just been taken to hospital and is conscious. Unfortunately, the horse had to be humanely destroyed."
