Racing: Fallon banned for Leger day

KIEREN FALLON will miss the ride on Iscan in the St Leger at Doncaster on Saturday week after receiving a five-day suspension for careless riding at Ripon yesterday. The ban, which rules the champion jockey out of the final three days (9 to 11 September) of the Leger fixture, as well as 13 and 14 September, was for Fallon's riding of Yeast, winner of the claimer.

The pill was sugared by a 56-1 four-timer, following a treble at Newcastle on Monday, but nevertheless puts Fallon's attempt to become the first jockey of modern times to ride three consecutive double-centuries - the last was Sir Gordon Richards in 1952 - under threat.

The stewards found that, approaching the bend out of the back straight, Yeast interfered with Alpine Hideaway, who in turn hampered Archello and Special-K, whose apprentice rider, Glen Sparkes, was unseated and had to be taken to hospital suffering from concussion and injuries to his thumb and shoulder.

Fallon, who has already won three of this season's four Classics, was due to ride Iscan, an unlucky loser in Goodwood's March Stakes on Saturday, for Sir Michael Stoute and Sheikh Mohammed. Now connections must seek a replacement for the colt, 6-1 second-favourite for the Leger with Coral. Fallon, who will not contest the stewards' decision, is set to leave Britain to ride in Hong Kong at the end of October and ended the day on the 163- winner mark.

"I was looking forward to the Leger and all the big races, and looking forward to riding 200 winners," he said. "I was on target and everything was going nice, and now it is touch and go. It doesn't leave me much time."