Kieren Fallon was crowned champion jockey for the fifth time at Doncaster this afternoon and Paddy Power make him a hot favourite at 4-6 to retain the title in 2003.
Fallon ended the ended the Turf campaign with 144 winners, 18 ahead of his nearest rival Richard Hughes, though he will lose two because prohibited substances were found in tests on Elusive City after wins at Lingfield and Goodwood.
He is very popular with racegoers, and having received a great reception at the presentation he said that a fifth championship meant at least as much as the first four, but feels it has not been easy, as he reasoned: It has been tough because I had a poor start and I was spending a lot of Sundays abroad.
Then I missed a lot of winners because I wasn't riding at all for the Aga Khan and for part of the season for the Maktoum family - and of course with Eddie Ahern now Gerard Butler's stable jockey I lost many winners from there.
Filed by James McMahon
