With the British flat racing season basically over, there will be little more left to do this year for jockey Kieren Fallon after his ride aboard Ouija Board in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf. He can quietly skip out of town, and who can blame him if he should. It hasn't been the easiest year for him

The 39-year-old Irish-born rider is among the elite jockeys in England, where he and Frankie Dettori dominate top class racing. He's among the most talented jockeys in the world and has won hundreds of major stakes across the continent. But it's been his off-track problems that have dominated the headlines this year in Europe, and there's been a bit of everything. He was stung by undercover reporters from a British tabloid, was suspended 21 days for lack of effort in a race that was among the most controversial in Britain in years and was arrested, along with 16 others, as part of a major investigation into alleged corruption and race fixing in Britain.

When asked yesterday if the problems have been a distraction, he replied, "No. I don't let them bother me."

He must be very good at focusing on other things.

Fallon's nightmarish year started March 2. Riding a horse named Ballinger Ridge, the favorite, he had a huge lead in the stretch only to drop his hands and stop riding before he was caught shortly before the wire. Fallon's ride could have easily been summed up as a case of poor judgment, but it was discovered that bettors had made substantial profits betting against Ballinger Ridge on Betfair.com. Betfair is wildly popular betting sight out of England where punters can either bet on horses or book bets against them. Should someone have inside knowledge that a horse is not going to win a race they make substantial profits by booking action on the horse on Betfair at an inflated price.

He was given a 21-day suspension for his ride, but his troubles didn't stop there. During his forced holiday, he and jockey John Egan went on vacation to Marbella, Spain where they were tracked down by reporters from the News of the World, a British scandal sheet. The reporters posed as high-rolling Middle Eastern gamblers and befriended the two jockeys. The pestered them for betting information and Fallon and Egan made some incriminating statements on tape, including an admission from Fallon that Ballinger Ridge was supposed to lose that race.

The News of the World scandal was starting to blow over, Fallon was starting to win races in droves and he started to talk, hoping to create some damage control.

"No, it's a completely ridiculous allegation," he told a British television station. "For one, it would be impossible to fix a race because there are other horses that run and other people involved. It doesn't make any sense at all to lose a race. Most jockeys are hungry. It's a tough sport and the only way you're going to get anywhere is by winning, not by losing."

By mid-summer, though his reputation has suffered, it appeared that he had put the worst behind him. That was until Sept. 1 when Fallon was among 16 people arrested as a result of a race-fixing investigation. Police said they were examining a large amount of information, including computer records and documentation. Jockey Club director of public relations John Maxse said: "This is an investigation which was initially handled by the Jockey Club, then it was passed on to the City of London police earlier this year."

That the police were handling the investigation, instead of the Jockey Club, which has far less authority, was a major sign that someone was taking this very seriously. After Fallon was released on bail he was able to return to riding and hasn't missed a beat. His lawyer was quick to claim Fallon was again innocent.

"The circumstances that relate to Kieren Fallon's arrest involve an individual who he has met on one occasion and whose name he did not even know at the time the meeting happened," Christopher Stewart-Moore said in a statement.

Still, there are some huge problems hanging over his head. It is not known when British legal authorities will move forward with their case against Fallon. Earlier this week, British police made still more arrests in the on-going scandal into race fixing and said the arrests were made after they received information from Betfair on certain clients. The noose may be further tightening around Fallon's neck.

Fallon could win the Filly & Mare Turf. Ouija Board is a fabulous 3-year-old filly and she won't be facing much in the way of competition. But should she win, Fallon may want to ask himself if this will be among his last great moments in racing,