Wigan's Cieren Fallon has the Golden touch after winning $10 million Sydney super-race

The 25-year-old was made to wait for the right moment on the William Haggas-trained three-year-old, who was trying the 1500m (7.5 furlongs) trip for the first time.

The pair were still sat around fourth last when rounding the bend for home, but Fallon kept his cool and launched an assault up the inside rail that was timed to perfection, with the pair surging home fast and late to deny the French raider Lazzat within the shadows of the post.

It rounds off a fine year in the saddle for the Swinley rider, who won Group 1 honours at his home track Haydock Park in September when winning the Sprint Cup on Montassib, also for his boss Haggas.

And speaking after the race, he was quick to think of his fellow jockey Stefano Cherchi, the late boyfriend of his sister Brittany, who was tragically killed in April this year after a fall in Australia.

Speaking to Channel 7, he said: “I’m lost for words, everything went to plan. We knew we had a lot of speed and that he had a good turn of foot. We felt that if we rode him too much early on that we’d take that away, so I had to ride him quite brave and hope that we got a bit of luck.

“We got a few gaps there and obviously Stefano (Cherchi) helped me get those. I had a lot of belief in the horse, in all of his races he had been crying out for a bit further. I knew with a bend it would allow us to fill him up and it got a bit tight, but I saved as much ground as I could up the inside rail. You saw his turn of foot towards the end, he hit the line very strong.

“This is remarkable and money-wise, you can’t beat it. This is definitely up there, it’s my first time out here (in a top-level race) and to be able to partner such a great stable is fantastic. The boss has been sending horses over here for the last few years and they’ve been coming out on top, so I was very confident. But in terms my career this is probably right up there.”

Issy Paul, assistant trainer to William Haggas, added: “We knew he had an explosive turn of foot, if you watch his races he’s so fast towards the end.

“Cieren has ridden that so beautifully and that was the plan, to let them all kill themselves (by going flat out) in front and come through to finish. It was a really brave ride from Cieren and oh my God, how exciting!”

Fallon, the son of six-times champion Flat jockey Kieren Fallon, was raised in Shevington and studied at Runshaw College before deciding to pursue his dream to become a jockey.