Racing: Wallace denies guilt over Fallon switch

To the moon landing supposedly filmed in the Arizona desert and the princes in the tower we can now add racing's own conspiracy theory.

Indeed, Brighton racecourse has a grassy knoll or two of its own and Mark Wallace, who substituted Kieren Fallon for the rather less heralded Karl Bowman (claiming 7lb) on the winning Hanton on Tuesday afternoon, admitted yesterday that he knew at the time his actions would have the collusion theorists out in force.

"The situation does look suspicious," the first-season trainer said, "but I've got no problem in going down to Portman Square to clarify the matter with the stewards and give them the explanation. I've got nothing to hide - I've no problem speaking to anybody about it, it's just one of those things."

Hanton, an unraced juvenile, became the mount of the champion jockey at the last minute after Bowman failed to get to the track in time. He was stuck in traffic. The antennae started twitching firstly when Hanton was heavily backed in the betting ring. In the race itself, it took all Fallon's equestrian skills to urge the palpably green two-year-old home by a neck.

The race was a selling stakes and Wallace had to go to 28,000gns, almost twice the previous course record, to retain Hanton at the auction.

The local stewards inquired into the late switch and opted to refer the matter to the Jockey Club for further investigation. "It's pretty simple, he got stuck in traffic," Wallace added yesterday. "My secretary took the wrong route and there was a snarl up on the M23, a bad accident. Jockeys have to be there 20 minutes beforehand and my young lad wasn't there. I told the clerk of the scales and we looked for another jockey. Kieren Fallon was available so I booked him.

"We're speculating on what would have happened if Karl had ridden him. He rides her in all her work at home and she goes all right for him so I was going to let him ride her with the 7lb claim, but in that particular race yesterday he [Fallon] definitely made the difference.

"You don't want the jockey you book for your horse not to turn up. The ideal situation is that the jockey you book turns up and if you were willing to use an apprentice in the first place, and the rules were that you then had to use another apprentice, then that would be fine."

Bowman supposedly rides again this evening, when he is down to partner Wallace's Catchthebatch in the opening Teletext Racing "Hands And Heels" Apprentice Handicap at Doncaster. He had better set off now.

Looking further ahead to Town Moor in the autumn, a total of 48 entries were yesterday declared for the St Leger on 13 September. Notable among them were two Classic-winning fillies in Casual Look, the Oaks winner, and Yesterday, who collected the Irish 1,000 Guineas for Aidan O'Brien. The champion trainer holds 11 options, including the Derby runner-up, The Great Gatsby, along with Roosevelt and Brian Boru, third and fourth respectively in the Irish equivalent.

The six-times champion trainer Sir Michael Stoute has three entries - Desert Quest, Hawk Flyer and Piano Star - as he attempts to land the St Leger for the first time.