Champion jockey Kieren Fallon's power-packed ride on Vodafone Derby winner Kris Kin at Epsom on Saturday was a new peak for a man who admitted earlier this year than he had reached a low point in his life.

The 38-year-old Irishman revealed in an interview in a Sunday newspaper in January that drink was having a detrimental effect on both his family life and his career.

He admitted he had enrolled in a 30-day programme at a centre in Ireland in an attempt to kick the habit for good.

Fallon, who clinched the jockeys' championship for a fifth time with 151 winners last November, told the Sunday Times he would never drink again.

He said: "Last season I rode 150 winners but my heart wasn't in it as it was before. I was wasting these years.

"I realised alcohol was taking the enjoyment away and for me, the important thing was to recognise this before it got too late.

"What I've seen is the misery, the stupid things I was doing. The waste of time, the waste of opportunity: everything should have been so much better."

Fallon, who is married to former jockey Julie Bowker and has three children, said he wanted to rediscover the passion that had seen him get to the top of a highly-competitive profession.

He described himself as "a serious social drinker" rather than an alcoholic.

He added: "I've been on this treadmill. Riding in England until November, then going to ride in Japan or Hong Kong for a few months, then America and on to Dubai before getting back for the start of another season back home.

"And what do you do when you've finished racing? You go for a drink.

"I want to be excited about going racing again. Excited about riding horses. Rather than seeing it as work, which it had become.

"When I am giving it my best shot, I am happy. I am looking forward to this season like I have never looked forward to a season in my life.

"I believe I will be a much better jockey and I want to be a better person."

Fallon is at the top of his profession, but his career has been dogged by controversy.

In 1994, he was banned for six months after a clash with fellow jockey Stuart Webster at Beverley, and in 1999 he lost the coveted job as stable jockey to Henry Cecil in a highly publicised fall-out.

Worse still, he almost lost the use of his left arm in a horrific fall at Royal Ascot in 2000 which nearly ended his career.

The new-look Fallon certainly came back with a renewed zest when this season started, and his familiar power-drive finish has seen him cement his position as the man the punters want on their side.

He landed the Sagitta 1000 Guineas for Sir Michael Stoute on Russian Rhythm last month to add to the five British Classic victories he had already won.

And his performance on Kris Kin, described by the renowned Stoute as "one of the great Derby rides", vindicates his decision to change the direction of his life.