Kieren Fallon is eyeing the one British Classic missing from his collection after conjuring a remarkable win out of Alexius at Goodwood today. His mount leapt to favouritism for the Rothmans Royal St Leger in September as he turned certain defeat into improbable victory in the Group Three Peugeot Gordon Stakes.
Alexius, having only the second race of his life, showed his inexperience as he completely missed the break, and trailed his ten rivals by fully eight lengths in the early stages. But Fallon refused to panic, allowed his mount plenty of time to find his feet and was rewarded as the colt started to pick off his opponents one by one. Amazingly, the three-year-old hit the front two furlongs out in the mile-and-a-half event and had enough in reserve to hold off Demophilos by a neck, with former wonder horse Nayef - running for the first time since finishing eighth in the 2000 Guineas - another length and a half away in third.
It was a virtual carbon-copy of Fallon's last-to-first win on Asian Heights in the Predominate Stakes here in May and the jockey admitted: "The stalls are on a bit of a slope and some horses tend to lie back instead of jump forward. I knew I was in trouble and it would be very difficult to make up the ground. There is not a lot you can do but you must let them find their feet and put them to sleep at the back. If you chase them along early you will burn them out and they have nothing to finish with. If they are good enough they usually find their way through."
The winner is favourite to go one place better than stablemate Air Marshall, who was second in this event and in the Leger last year. And he is quoted at 3-1 by William Hill to end a Doncaster hoodoo for Sir Michael Stoute whose many losers in the final Classic include the legendary Shergar. Fallon added: "He has got a lot of improvement in him. We liked him when he won first time at Newmarket and that race has worked out well. We knew this was a tough race for an inexperienced horse and he has done it well. I have never won the Leger and nor has the boss so it would be nice to win it. But it is early days yet."
Meanwhile, Michael Kinane scored a double with Aidan O'Brien's Dietrich at 11/2 in the 4.25 and on the 9/4 favourite Kelburne in the five o'clock.
Filed by Shane Murray
