Kieren Fallon felt 'physically sick' watching son Cieren's Royal Ascot nightmare

Kieren Fallon has described the agony of watching his son Cieren endure a nightmare defeat in the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot last month, saying it made him feel "physically sick".

Fallon was speaking to the Racing Post for a major interview in Sunday's newspaper in which he looks back at his astonishing career 25 years on from his first jockeys' championship during a year that also saw him hit the headlines for a notorious losing ride on Bosra Sham in the Coral-Eclipse.

The six-time champion jockey was badly boxed in on the odds-on favourite that day, ultimately managing only third behind Pilsudski and Benny The Dip, and he watched his son Cieren suffer a similar fate when a fast-finishing fourth on Maljoom in the St James's Palace behind Coroebus.

"It was a nightmare," he said. "When I saw him flying home I felt physically sick. He obviously should've won but there was nothing he could do.

Maljoom (yellow) is just held by Coroebus (near) in the St James's Palace StakesCredit: Mark Cranham (racingpost.com/photos)

"I had thought it was going to be a long drive home but he was fine. Cieren gets angry, just like I always did, but whereas I would stew and fester, he can very quickly let it go."

Cieren Fallon was aided in that regard by the reaction of trainer William Haggas, who threw a comforting arm around the rider, in contrast to the anger of Henry Cecil and Bosra Sham's owner Wafic Said after what Kieren Fallon himself still calls the "Bosra Shambles".

"Henry didn't say anything after the race but you always knew when he was angry because he started to twitch," recalled Fallon, who was immediately jocked off Bosra Sham.

"What helped [Cieren] so much was how William reacted. Some trainers would have sliced Cieren in half. William handled it brilliantly."

Read more from Kieren Fallon in The Big Read, available in Sunday's newspaper or online for Members' Club Ultimate subscribers from 6pm on Saturday. Click here to sign up.

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