Fallon widens gap with treble

Kieren Fallon, riding in unstoppable form, maintained his relentless march towards the jockeys' championship at Redcar yesterday by completing a 20 to 1 treble on Tart, Ricky Ticky Tavie and Special Treat. The trio took Fallon's score to 162 winners and puts him 18 ahead of Frankie Dettori - back in action at Ascot today after a six-day suspension - in the title race.

"Are you far enough ahead now, Kieren?" asked one by-stander after Fallon had completed his treble. "Not yet!" smiled the inform jockey.

David Loder, trainer of Ricky Ticky Tavie and Special Treat, made the journey from Newmarket and was pleased to see the former justify odds-on favouritism in the Autumn Maiden Stakes.

An excellent runner-up at Ascot on his only previous outing, last year as a juvenile, Ricky Ticky Tavie needed to be driven out by Fallon to beat Barnburgh Boy by one and a quarter lengths.

Tart, trained by Jeff Pearce, prevailed by half a length from Filial under a powerful Fallon ride in the Teesside Selling Handicap and was later sold to David Nicholls for 6,600 guineas.

Bookmakers are bracing themselves for a major gamble on Dettori today.

Dettori returns from suspension with the hopes of millions of punters resting on his shoulders as he bids for a repeat of last year's history making feat when he rode all seven winners on the card at combined odds of 25,095 to 1.

The Italian's fans received a scare earlier in the week when it was revealed that one of his potential mounts Swiss Law defected from the Tote Festival Handicap.

But trainer Brian Meehan stepped in to request Dettori's services to partner Tumbleweed Ridge to complete a full book of mounts for the former champion jockey.

The news will bring a sigh of relief from Ascot racecourse who have centred their advertising campaign around the prospects of Dettori repeating his sensational achievement.

Dettori's rides today are: King Sound (Cumberland Lodge Stakes), Russian Revival (Racal Diadem Stakes), Allied Forces (Queen Elizabeth II Stakes), Tumbleweed Ridge (Tote Festival Handicap), Noisette (Rosemary Rated Stakes), Atuf (Blue Seal Conditions Stakes) and Jaseur (`Magnificent Seven' Gordon Carter Stakes).