The final curtain was drawn on Kieren Fallon's Ballydoyle career last night when it was confirmed that John Murtagh will be the number one jockey at Aidan O'Brien's all-conquering stables for the upcoming 2008 flat season.
It brings to an end a turbulent three-year stint for Fallon in one of the world's most coveted riding jobs in which the controversial Clare-born jockey scaled the heights but also touched the depths including being banned for 18 months a week ago due to a positive drugs test in France last August. That appears to have been the final straw for the powerful Coolmore Stud syndicate of John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith who have moved quickly to appoint 37-year-old Murtagh in Fallon's place.
The Co Meath-born jockey successfully stepped into Fallon's shoes on a number of occasions last year when his colleague was banned from riding in Britain, and also in the US and Hong Kong. Group One victories included a King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes on Dylan Thomas and a pair of top-flight wins on the champion filly Peeping Fawn. However, Murtagh's association with the Ballydoyle/Coolmore team goes back further to when he became something of a 'super-sub' with classic victories on board High Chaparral in the 2002 Epsom Derby and also in that year's Newmarket 2,000 Guineas on Rock Of Gibraltar.
"I am over the moon," an exultant Murtagh said last night from Dubai where he is based until after the World Cup meeting in March. "It is a great opportunity and I'm really looking forward to riding for the team. I am 37 now and my best years lie ahead of me."
O'Brien said: "Johnny has already enjoyed plenty of success as part of the team at Ballydoyle and we are delighted to have him on board."
Although Fallon faces the prospect of ending his career in ignominy, he only has to look to his successor for an example of how to stage a remarkable recovery as Murtagh has endured some personal troughs of his own. The former champion apprentice was facing the prospect of having to switch to the National Hunt game in the early 1990s due to weight problems that threatened to sever the links he had built up with the top trainer John Oxx since leaving the RACE academy as a teenager.
However, Murtagh battled back to become a three-time champion jockey in Ireland and was on board the brilliant Sinndar when the Oxx-trained colt dominated the year 2000 with wins in the English and Irish Derbies as well as the Arc.
Further international success followed in the following years but it is only four seasons since more weight trouble meant Murtagh's link with Oxx ended. The resilient jockey has bounced back from that setback too and last night's news puts the seal on it.
