Kevin Darley is ensuring the battle to retain the British jockeys' championship goes right to the wire after cutting Kieren Fallon's lead to eight with a double on Sholay and Pipadash at Redcar yesterday.

With three-times champion Fallon not riding at Nottingham because of traffic hold-ups, Darley had a free run to set a new personal best score on Turf of 155.

There are just five days left of the campaign, which ends at Doncaster on Saturday.

Darley also rode four winners on the all-weather before the Turf season started and when asked if the championship might not be decided until the final day, he said with a smile: "I don't know, I am just enjoying it all and there is no pressure on me.

"I have some good rides tomorrow at Catterick and Musselburgh on Wednesday and they look all right on Windsor on Thursday too so we will have to see."

Sholay was long odds-on to make it third time lucky in the European Breeders Fund Maiden and he saw off his eleven rivals with the minimum of fuss, passing the post with three and a half lengths to spare over Hatalan.

Pipadash is a tough customer and retains her enthusiasm too, running out a game one and three quarter length winner of the Tote Credit Handicap.

Jamie Spencer completed his first century of winners in a season on Dare at Nottingham.

He scored by a head on the 16 to 1 chance for trainer David Evans in the Vivien Leigh Handicap over a mile and a quarter.

Spencer will be heading to Dubai for a few months over the winter but may also ride on the all-weather for the final few weeks before the turf campaign begins again.