Horse Racing: Fallon Bullish But Papal Has No Derby Entry

When a Classic trial is won by a horse without a Classic entry, it is easy to dismiss it as a pointless exercise. It has happened several times to the Chester Vase in recent seasons, prompting those in charge of the course to suggest that this historic race might now have outlived its usefulness.

And it happened again yesterday, when Papal Bull and Kieren Fallon, favourites for the Group Three race at 6-4, charged through a welcome gap between Dragon Dancer and Primary to win going away. Papal Bull is not entered for the Derby, and his previous outing had been in a handicap at Newmarket, but before his success is written off as just another embarrassment in the dying years of a once-great Classic trial, it would be wise to consider some of the many positive things that Fallon had to say afterwards.

Sir Michael Stoute, Papal Bull's trainer, has always treated post-race interviews as if every sentence will take a year off his life, and yesterday was no different. Fallon, though, was more than happy to talk about a colt who, he clearly feels, will win at a higher level as the season unfolds.

"He's a Montjeu, and they always improve," he said. "All that he does now is only a bonus, because he's going to get better and better. Sir Michael is a past master at improving good horses and he's doing it with this one too.

"This was a good race today, and you're not going to get many better trials than this. He fell out of the stalls and so he's had to do it the hard way from behind. They went a really good gallop from the start, and when I gave him a kick, he really picked up for me. With another furlong or a more galloping track, he'd have won by two or three lengths going away. If I could have gone when I wanted to, two out, I think that he would have stretched and been very impressive, but it wasn't to be, and so we can only guess at what he would have done."

Papal Bull runs in the dark blue colours of John Magnier's wife, Sue, and there are plenty more classically-bred three-year -olds in the same ownership at Aidan O'Brien's yard in Ireland.

As everyone tries to establish a pecking order at this most intriguing time of the year, though, Papal Bull seems to have persuaded Fallon that he is one of the better members of the team.

"It's a really interesting time, what with there being so many of those good two-year- olds from last year like Horatio Nelson at Aidan's, and then horses like this one, and Dylan Thomas and Septimus [7-2 second-favourite with Ladbrokes for next week's Dante Stakes at York, behind 2-1 favourite Hala Bek]. I'm just hoping that one of them is going to stride away with one of these trials."

Bookmakers were reluctant to quote a price about Papal Bull for the Derby until it becomes clear whether he is a likely runner and, just as importantly, whether Fallon would be in the saddle. Trials in Ireland this weekend and then at York next week should bring the Derby field into a much tighter focus, while Dragon Dancer, who finished second to Hala Bek at Newbury before filling the same position here yesterday, could be a useful yardstick when Michael Jarvis's colt runs in the Dante.

Papal Bull completed a double for Stoute-trained favourites in the two Group Three events on the card yesterday, following Maraahel's easy success at 4-11 in the Huxley Stakes over 10 furlongs. "He's very consistent and he loves it around here, but he's just not quite a Group One horse," Stoute said. "He's just as happy at 12 furlongs, and we'll have to think about where to go next but he has plenty of entries."

Michael Robinson, a former work-rider with the trainer Tony Carroll, was warned off for nine months by the Horseracing Regulatory Authority yesterday after he was found to have laid horses trained by Carroll to lose on Betfair on 90 separate occasions between September 2003 and April 2004.

Robinson did not attend the hearing in London, and is no longer thought to be working in racing.