KIEREN FALLON’S life has been a series of contradictions and he added another to the saga yesterday. Part of his motivation, when uprooting from Newmarket earlier this year, was to win his native Irish Derby for the first time. With the might of Aidan O’Brien’s string at his disposal, he could little have imagined he would achieve his aim on a horse trained in France.

Such is the reach of the Coolmore breeding operation owned by his new masters, however, that Hurricane Run was purchased after finishing second in the French Derby. Though left in the care of André Fabre and leased briefly back to his previous owners, Fallon was installed to ride and the colt duly justified favouritism, winning a muddling race by half-a-length.

On a steamy afternoon in Co Kildare, Fallon was wreathed in smiles and sweat as he said: “It’s been my dream to win this race from years back, when I started out here as an apprentice. But I never thought I would see the day.”

The joy of the jockey was in stark contrast to the expression of his retaining trainer. O’Brien came close to stealing the race with his second-string, Scorpion, but Gypsy King — Fallon’s ride in the Epsom Derby — broke down fatally after only two furlongs.

Couple that with a bafflingly poor run from Walk In The Park, the Epsom second, and the form takes a knock, especially when the proximity of Scorpion is factored in. But don’t try telling that to Fallon.

As the pace was set by Scorpion and Brahminy Kite, who justified his presence with fourth place for Mark Johnston, Fallon settled Hurricane Run in rear. Avoiding potential trouble when Gypsy King broke a shoulder and ejected Seamus Heffernan, the favourite was always cruising and Fallon opted to bring him widest into the straight.

“It probably wasn’t my greatest ride but I wanted the clearest way round. Once we’d straightened up he made up the ground very quick and I thought he was going to win easily. I relaxed a bit, rather than getting hold of him, and that’s why he hung near the line. It was my fault.”

Indeed, just briefly, there was potential for an embarrassing inquiry, with the stewards being asked to disqualify Coolmore’s expensive new colt in favour of one they had run to make up the numbers. Fallon, as skilful as he was confident, straightened Hurricane Run in time and still won with something to spare.

While acknowledging the irony of his winning ride, Fallon was keen to point out the significance of the red and green colours of Gestut Ammerland. “They’ve been lucky for me — I won my first group one in these colours on Borgia,” he said.

Henceforth, Hurricane Run will run in the dark blue colours of John Magnier and Michael Tabor, though Fabre will continue to train him, pursuing a long-planned programme of a midsummer break and the autumn target of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

Bago, winner of the Arc last year, was beaten for the second successive time yesterday and this latest reversal leaves many questions to answer. Back on home territory in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, Bago, the favourite, came under pressure three furlongs from home and took an eternity to respond.

When he finally did pick up, running past beaten horses into third place, the race had been settled by a decisive thrust from Frankie Dettori on Alkaased, previously second in the Coronation Cup for Luca Cumani.

Alan Cooper, racing manager for Bago’s owners, the Niarchos family, said it was too soon to judge whether he would still contest the King George at Newbury next month but observed: “He didn’t show his usual fluency but he did finish strongly.”

Yeats, who beat Alkaased at Epsom under an inspired Fallon, dropped out tamely this time, another sour note for O’Brien. Back at the Curragh, however, he could at least look forward with renewed optimism after winning the group two Railway Stakes for a seventh time.

George Washington, backed for next year’s 2,000 Guineas even before his debut at Newmarket last month, made slightly heavy weather of beating his stablemate, Amigoni, but, as is the custom, bookmakers scrambled to shorten him up. Ladbrokes now make him 14-1 favourite for the first classic of next season.

For Fallon, George Washington was the middle leg of a treble initiated with a welcome winner for his close friend, Mark Wallace, in the listed King of Beers Stakes. After starting his training career in Newmarket so promisingly, Wallace has been “tearing his hair out” during a lean summer but Benbaun won this in the style of a decent sprinter and will now go to Sandown on Saturday.

BIG RACE DETAILS

Going: good (good to firm on round course)

3.50 BUDWEISER IRISH DERBY
(Group I: 3-Y-O: £528,440: 1m 4f)



1, HURRICANE RUN
K Fallon, 4-5 fav



2, Scorpion
C O’Donoghue, 25-1



3, Shalapour
F M Berry, 16-1



ALSO RAN: 100-30 Walk In The Park, 8 Fracas, 9 Gypsy King (pu), 20 Bahar Shumaal (5th), 33 Brahminy Kite (4th), 50 Helvetio (6th). 9 ran. ½l, 4l, 4l, 2l, 2l. A Fabre (Fr). Tote (inc 1 euro stake): 2.20; 1.10, 3.50, 1.90. Exacta: 40.00. CSF: 32.61.