Binary boost for Fallon

Kieren Fallon got the perfect boost ahead of his trip to Portman Square today as he replaced the banned Richard Hughes on Binary File at York and claimed a Listed success to move further clear of his title rival.

The champion jockey, who could be given a lengthy spell on the sidelines by the Jockey Club Disciplinary Committee under the ’totting-up’ procedure, had the mount as owner Khalid Abdullah’s retained rider is serving a suspension imposed at the Ebor meeting on the Knavesmire last month.

Though without a win for 14 months, his partner started 11-2 third favourite in a field of Pattern race performers for the Persimmon Homes Strensall Stakes after a luckless sixth in the Hungerford Stakes at Newbury last month.

And for the 115th time in Britain this year Fallon rewarded his backers, biding his time as Imtiyaz made the running before coming through to lead 100 yards from home and score by three-quarters of a length from Bourgainville.

But the jockey played down his impact in the saddle, saying: “There was plenty of pace on today and that always makes the job easy. He was off the bridle the whole way round but I just had to wait.

“He gave me a really good feel going down and I like him.”

Trainer John Gosden was not on hand to outline future plans for the winner but runner-up Bourgainville is quoted at 16-1 by Victor Chandler for next month’s Tote Cambridgeshire, in which he has 9st 7lb to carry.

And Desert Deer, only third having been sent off 5-4 favourite, could tackle next week’s Park Stakes at Doncaster.

Seb Sanders continues to snap at the heels of Fallon and Hughes in third place in the jockeys’ championship, and he made it 12 winners in the past 15 days by taking the Peterhouse Group Rated Stakes on Needwood Blade.

Scott’s View was forced to share the limelight on his belated appearance in the winner’s enclosure at York.

Nothing was able to beat the three-year-old, who was ante-post favourite for the Tote Ebor here last month only to miss the final cut by one, in the Emirates Airline Garrowby Rated Stakes.

But nor could he get the better of Muhareb in a hard-fought final-furlong duel and the pair were ruled to have dead-heated by the judge, who could not split them after studying the photo-finish.

The result pleased Muhareb’s jockey Frankie Dettori, who said before the verdict was announced: “I thought I got beat on the line and I will take a dead-heat.”

But it was a slight disappointment to Scott’s View’s rider Kevin Darley, who admitted: “I thought I just got there.”

His mount was gaining a seventh handicap win of the year, and taking his first-prize-money earnings past £65,000, to the slight surprise of trainer Mark Johnston who said: “I thought this horse maybe couldn’t do it, to progress and lump bigger and bigger weights.

“When everybody was disappointed about his defeat at Chester the other day I thought that was clearly the best run of his life, running off a mark of 100 and giving me more confidence than ever before as he was unlucky.

“I think he was a little bit unlucky again here today. I wouldn’t think he will go for the Cesarewitch. A mile and a half is spot on – he is a £70,000 handicap over that trip at Ascot and that is the target. Then he will be looking at Listed races next.

“Obviously I am a bit disappointed that he had to miss the Ebor but we can’t complain when you look at his winnings. The horse has had his share and it is not as if he has been denied the opportunity throughout his career – you win some, you lose some.”