Kieren Fallon finishes tailed off behind panic buyers in the 7am sprint at Tesco

Kieren Fallon was a winner in the saddle but had to admit defeat when confronted with panic buying at his local supermarket.

The six-time champion jockey tried to stock up with provisions after returning from a winter spell riding out in Dubai but was left stunned by what greeted him in the shopping aisles of West Suffolk in an unwelcome public response to the coronovirus pandemic.

The three-time Derby winner said: "I was still on Dubai time, four hours ahead, when I got back so it was no problem to get up early and get over to Tesco in Bury St Edmunds around 7am.

"Everything appeared quiet but before I knew it people just appeared like locusts and there was nothing left that anyone wanted. I've never seen anything like it. It's certainly not like that in Dubai, so it was a bit of a shock to the system.

"I then tried to call into a nearby Aldi on the way home but they were queuing out of the door at 7.30am. I managed to get some supplies in Newmarket Tesco on Saturday morning when it appeared to quieten down a bit but there was no pasta and baked beans are scarce."

Fallon has extra reason to hope racing can someday start again in Britain as his son Cieren is striving to become the first jockey to win the apprentice title twice since Gary Bardwell in the 1980s.

Fallon jnr is biding his time riding out for William Haggas and his dad said: "It's frustrating that the racing is off but at least we are still alive and when if it ever gets going again the plan is for Cieren to go for the apprentice tile again.

"I know he won it last year but that wasn't the plan to start with and it just happened that way. I know Cieren is a big planner so that is what the intention is this year and he's far more organised than I ever was. I used to turn up ten minutes before a race whereas he turns up two hours before the first race on the card regardless of if he has a ride in it or not."

Fallon jnr has 66 winners to his name and needs 29 more to ride out his claim.

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