Dettori's difficult choice

RACING/Champion Stakes: Frankie Dettoriadmitted yesterday that he faced a difficult decision in choosing to ride Noverre ahead of Moon Ballad in today's Champion Stakes at Newmarket.

The English Derby third Moon Ballad is likely to go off favourite for the centrepiece of the track's Champions' Day meeting, and the Italian explained his reasoning for sticking with Noverre, who has yet to win over today's 10-furlong trip.

"There's nothing between the two horses but I've been riding Noverre all year and if I jump to Moon Ballad and Noverre wins I'll be kicking myself," he said.

"He's better over a mile but he didn't run too badly in the International and he's an older horse and much more relaxed.

"If he runs his best race he could be thereabouts. But take nothing away from Moon Ballad. He has been running brilliant races all year. I don't think there's too much between the horses but I'll be kicking myself I get off Noverre and Moon Ballad wins.

"I've stuck with him all year but like I say I will not be surprised if Moon Ballad wins.

The Champion Stakes is one of the few races to elude Dettori. "It's a very important race, a championship race and I want to win it really badly," he said. None of the big guns from Ballydoyle will be in opposition today, with only Sholokhov, who has acted mainly as a pacemaker this term, representing Aidan O'Brien

"It makes it a touch easier but every Group One is hard and Aidan O'Brien or no Aidan O'Brien we still have to beat the rest," Dettori said.

One of those to beat will be Indian Creek, for whom Darryll Holland has been booked by David Elsworth, as the colt bids to go two places better than last year when he was third behind Nayef and Tobougg.

Main supporting contest on a tremendous card is the Tote Cesarewitch, for which a maximum 36-runner field has been declared.

And a major mover yesterday in the ante-post market on the two-and-a-quarter mile marathon was the Dermot Weld-trained Direct Bearing, cut to 16 to1 from 20s by William Hill to become the first Irish-trained winner since Weld's Vintage Crop in 1993.