Racing: Royal fear for Fallon

KIEREN FALLON will sit out this weekend's racing amid doubts that the champion jockey will be fit in time for Royal Ascot.

The earliest that Fallon will be back in action is Monday - the eve of the Royal meeting. He was due to see a specialist late yesterday.

Fallon gave up three rides at Newbury on Thursday after hurting his right knee when riding out for Henry Cecil's stable at Newmarket. He had been booked to partner top-weight Eastern Purple in today's William Hill Trophy at York but his place has been taken by Alan Culhane.

A spokeswoman for trainer Cecil said: "Kieren is going to see a specialist later this afternoon. He should know more later."

French Ballerina, a winner at the Cheltenham Festival in March, will take on the top Flat stayers in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot on Thursday, it was confirmed yesterday.

Pat Flynn, her trainer, will run her in the Group One event in preference to the Hardwicke Stakes the following day. The County Wexford trainer said: "I decided that she won't have any trouble with the trip so we'll go for the Gold Cup and I think she'll run a good race."

A winner of six of her 12 starts on the Flat, French Ballerina beat Gordi by a length and a half in the Listed Saval Beg Stakes at Leopardstown last time out.

Seamus Heffernan was in the saddle that day and will ride again on Thursday.

French Ballerina beat His Song in the Citroen Supreme Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham but lost out to the same rival at Punchestown the following month, when heavy ground was reckoned to be against her.

"On the Flat and over hurdles she hates extremes of ground," Flynn said. ``After the Gold Cup she won't run on the Flat again for a month or two and after that she will be back over hurdles for the English and Irish Champion Hurdles."

Irish racing was yesterday hit by a doping scandal. The Irish Turf Club revealed that Tobar Na Carraige was administered with a "stopping drug" when running poorly at Tralee the Monday before last. Tests on the six-year-old revealed the presence of acetylpromazine.

Tobar Na Carraige, trained by John Joe Walsh, was tested after he ran in the Joseph J Grace Memorial Handicap Hurdle at Tralee. He opened at 4-1 but started 7-1 and was pulled up in a race won by Noel Brett's Drishogue Lad, who was backed from 8-1 in to 7-2 favourite and was running for only the second time since he landed a gamble at Listowel 13 months previously.