Craig Zackey delivered what was in the end a masterful ride on Lady Fallon, who dug deep to claim a hard-fought victory in a thrilling mile contest. Even though the form jockey left the door open and then attempted to close it again in the closing stages on the inside after using his whip in the right hand, allowing his horse to move towards the outside, she still won. One can call it good race riding. 

Sent off as the 22/10 tote favorite, Lady Fallon appeared poised for a comfortable win as she surged ahead at the 400m mark, possibly going for home a tad early, especially in hindsight. However, a late challenge turned the race into a nail-biter, with Lady Fallon narrowly holding off the fast-finishing Soldier’s Eye (40-1) by a head in a time of 99.38 seconds. Wes Marwing had to switch off the back of Lady Fallon in the closing stages, a move that came too late, whilst running on smartly. Once can argue that an earlier switch could have won the race.

Andi’s Girl (4/1) completed the trifecta, three-quarters of a length behind the top two, while Cape Lights (16-1) trailed a further 3.50 lengths in fourth.

With this victory, Lady Fallon has now won three races and placed eight times from 13 starts, boosting her earnings to R366,750. Originally purchased for R125,000 at the National Yearling Sale, she was later acquired privately by owner Dave Shaw. This marked her fourth start in Shaw’s colors.

Trainer Lucky Houdalakis expressed satisfaction with Lady Fallon’s progress:
"I told Dave he was buying a challenge and that patience would be key. She’s talented, and I’m thrilled she’s rewarded him with this stakes win."

Bred by the Kzn based Blue Sky Thoroughbreds, Lady Fallon is by Act Of War (Dynasty) out of the unraced Gimmethegreenlight mare, Chartreuse.

Zackey’s victory with Lady Fallon capped a stellar evening, as he rode four winners, including a double for Lucky Houdalakis.