Arc winner Dylan Thomas looking Breeders' Cup-bound

Dylan Thomas, Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe hero for Kieren Fallon, has almost certainly run his last race in Europe. Praised by the six-times British champion jockey Fallon as the best he has ridden, Dylan Thomas now looks like being aimed at the Breeders' Cup Turf at Monmouth Park, New Jersey on October 27 in a last race before being retired to stud.

Fallon, meanwhile, stepped into the dock at the Old Bailey in London yesterday with the prosecution opening its case against him and five others charged with conspiracy to defraud customers of Betfair, the betting exchange company.

All six, who include two other jockeys, deny the charge and the high-profile trial is set to last up to four months.

On Sunday, Fallon parted company with a horse he has never lost on in dramatic style at Long-champ, surviving a 30-minute stewards' inquiry which could have cost him the race.

With 300m to go, Dylan Thomas cut inside, forcing the well-backed Zambezi Sun to swerve away and then later hampered Coolmore stable mate Soldier of Fortune, ridden by Fallon's Irish compatriot Johnny Murtagh.

French stewards can often play hard ball but Fallon disclosed that Zambezi Run's jockey Stephane Pasquier spoke up for him and that may have swayed the officials, who allowed the result to stand.

They may also have taken the view that the main incident happened some way from the winning post and Zambezi Sun finished only eighth, beaten by over 10 lengths.