Cieren Fallon has the chance to add one of Australia’s most prestigious races to his CV having picked up the ride on Lake Forest in the Golden Eagle at Rosehill in early November.
Owned by Brighton & Hove Albion supremo Tony Bloom in conjunction with Ian McAleavy, the son of No Nay Never is trained by William Haggas who himself is no stranger to success in the Southern Hemisphere.
A winner of the Gimcrack at two, the fast-ground lover has gone close behind two sharp operators in his appearances this term, bumping into an on-song Inisherin when second in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot, then filling the same position behind Elite Status in Newbury’s Hackwood Stakes.
Lake Forest will have his stamina put to the test in the seven-and-a-half-furlong event, with Fallon acknowledging he will need some good fortune in Sydney’s AUS$10million contest on November 2.
However, not only is it a race that could provide the 25-year-old with a bumper payday, it is one which represents a fine opportunity for Fallon to end the year on a high and add another major prize to his Haydock Sprint Cup success aboard Montassib.
Fallon said: “We’ll need a lot of luck and a nice draw. It’s a big race worth a lot of money and hopefully he acclimatises well.
“He’s got a lot of speed and it’s round a bend, not just a straight. He can be a tad slow away, which isn’t ideal in a big field like that as they tend to go two-by-two, so we need a nice draw and a bit of luck with a couple of gaps up the home straight.
“Racing is a roller-coaster ride and I’ve had some highs and some lows this year, but it’s a great opportunity and hopefully he can perform on the day and things go our way.”