The drama of what is already being described as racing's "trial of the century" is set to begin at London's Old Bailey today with Kieren Fallon gearing up to fight corruption charges that could spell the end of his hugely controversial career.
Along with five others, the former six-times champion jockey is charged with British conspiracy to defraud the internet betting exchange, Betfair, and a prison sentence hangs over Fallon if he is found guilty.
Expectations of how long the trial will last vary from the view of Fallon's defence team that it could be all over, with charges dropped, within a week, to a marathon legal wrangle of up to two months.
What is certain is that Fallon's presence guarantees there will be huge public interest in the case which centres on 18 races in which Fallon is reputed to have passed information to a betting syndicate headed by another of the charged, Miles Rodgers, who then used it to lay horses to lose on the exchange.
As well as Fallon and Rodgers, the others defendants are Derry-born jockey Fergal Lynch, another rider, Darren Williams, Lynch's brother, Shaun, and Philip Sherkle.
However, much of the focus will centre on 42-year-old Fallon who remains the number one rider for the world's most powerful owners, John Magnier's Coolmore Stud syndicate, although he has been banned from riding in Britain under Horseracing Authority rules since July of 2006.
Over the weekend, the Clare-born rider was reported as saying: "I don't have to be there until Wednesday but my plan is to turn up on Monday to hear the legal argument."
Fallon's legal representatives are confident he will beat the charges that are a result of a two-year long City Of London police investigation. The rider himself denies all charges and insists he has had no relationship with Rodgers.
This is just the latest instalment in a turbulent career for the three triple Epsom Derby winner. Only in June he returned from a six-month suspension he incurred for a positive cocaine test taken in France during the summer of last year.
Although he continues to be banned in Britain, and as a result also in the USA where his suspension has been reciprocated, Fallon remains free to ride elsewhere, principally in Ireland and in France.
If the trial rolls beyond this week and into October, he will theoretically still be available to ride at weekends and should be free to take part in the prestigious Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe meeting which takes place on Sunday week in Paris.
Aidan O'Brien is gearing up a powerful team for the Arc with Dylan Thomas and Soldier Of Fortune being prepared towards Europe's greatest all-aged race while the top filly Peeping Fawn is a possible runner in the Group One Prix de l'Opera.
Ireland's champion trainer has also outlined possible plans to run his star stayers, Yeats and Scorpion, at Longchamp although the latter is being readied to enter quarantine ahead of a trip to Australia for November's Melbourne Cup.
Scorpion will be joined in a journey down under by the Doncaster St Leger runner-up Mahler and O'Brien said yesterday: "They will be going in quarantine shortly.
"I'm not sure when they'll fly out but they might not go quite as early as Yeats last year.
"Scorpion and Yeats will be aimed at the Arc weekend when they will have a choice of either the Arc or the Prix du Cadran."
