After the feud which erupted between French champions Olivier Peslier and Cash Asmussen at Longchamp on Sunday, the fierce but better-natured rivalry for the British jockeys' championship continued at Nottingham yesterday. Kieren Fallon began the day with a 142-136 lead over Frankie Dettori, assessed as a 4 to 9 chance by the tote to win his first jockeys' title.
The pair hoovered up five of the first six races, with a Fallon treble, gained at odds of 41 to 1, taking the score to 145 against Dettori's 138.
Fallon completed his threesome on Stoned Imaculate in the first division of the two-mile Carlton Handicap, giving the filly's trainer Ferdy Murphy double cause for celebration.
After the 9 to 4 favourite, who fell at the first in a hurdle race at Bangor on Saturday, had beaten Coh Sho No by a length and a quarter, Murphy revealed that he had snapped up a tasty 5 to 2 against about the Clareman last week.
"I backed Kieren at 5 to 2 last week and I will probably bring this filly out again," he said. "She won with a little bit in hand and she should do it again. She will go for the Czech St Leger in October the day before the Pardibicka, which Irish Stamp will run in."
Despite edging ahead, Fallon is taking nothing for granted. "Frankie can get back at me. He can go bang, bang, bang - he is capable of that," he said. "So I am not thinking about it and not counting any chickens. And I won't think about it until the last couple of weeks."
It was Dettori who drew first blood, on Asakir for Godolphin in the opening EBF Nottingham Maiden, Saeed bin Suroor's Nashwan colt beating Hadith by a length, with a half length back to the 11 to 8 favourite, the Fallon-partnered Wadi.
Then Fallon struck back by taking the Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club Fillies' Nursery on 9 to 4 market leader Golden Fortune for David Loder.
Loder, now in his fifth full season with a licence, did not saddle his first nursery winner until a fortnight ago, and has won three such contests since.
Dettori got another back with the victory of Deterrent (7 to 4 favourite) in the EBF September Maiden. The Warning colt had come up against Linden Heights and 2,000 Guineas favourite Daggers Drawn on his last two outings and made full use of this easier opportunity, quickening on the run to the final furlong to account for Loder's Captain Tim by a couple of lengths.
"That was a bit tough running into Daggers Drawn and Linden Heights is not too shabby either," was winning trainer John Gosden's post-race comment.
Fallon restored the old order aboard Lynda Ramsden's Mouche, another favourite, in the first division of the Branston Abby Fillies' Handicap before completing his treble on Stoned Imaculate.
It was not until the fifth race, the second division of the Branston Abby Fillies' Handicap, that the pair's colleagues got a look in, Michael Roberts driving 20 to 1 chance La Volta to victory over Magic Lake.
After taking an early battering, bookmakers had a little more relief courtesy of 14 to 1 shot Cliburnel News in the second division of the Carlton Handicap.
