Super Seb Praises Prescott

Seb Sanders saluted trainer Sir Mark Prescott after sharing the jockeys' championship with Jamie Spencer following a breathless season finale on Saturday.

Sanders and Spencer rode 190 winners throughout the campaign, with the former relying on his boss Prescott as a major source of success.

And having lapped up the attention after the last race at Doncaster on Saturday, Sanders dashed to Wolverhampton to partner the Prescott-trained Kissing to an easy victory.

Sanders said: 'Last night rounded the season off really well and it was really nice for me to ride a winner for the boss.

'He's been monumental and he always is ? he's a great character.

'He's great for advice and when something difficult has cropped up in racing, I'll mull it for a few days and give the boss a ring and he usually comes up with the right answer.'

While a floodlit meeting on the all-weather did not seem the most glamorous destination for a newly-crowned champion to bask in his glory, the ultra-professional Sanders said his decision to ride proved the right one.

He told At The Races: 'It's my job and it's why I'm stable jockey.

'I had a lot of self-satisfaction riding that filly (Kissing) at Wolverhampton last night as I know how important it is to get a win on the board for these fillies.

'It was sort of annoying that I couldn't get back and have a good old knees-up with the missus and Darcy (Sanders' daughter) and everyone else.

'But I went out to the paddock and a couple of people started clapping, and then a couple more started and it went the whole way around the parade ring.

'It was real special and it just turned what seemed a chore into a real pleasure.'

Spencer's final winner of the season, Inchnadamph, was provided by Tim Fitzgerald, who was delighted to have played his own little role in the drama.

It was a fitting end as Spencer's father is an old friend of Fitzgerald's dad.

'It was just fantastic to be a part of it really,' he said.

'I was very pleased for the horse and for his owners as he's done nothing wrong all year in good races.

'It was great to get a bit of reward at the end of the year, and to cap it all, it was nice to play an important part in what was a fantastic jockeys' championship.'

Explaining how Spencer landed the ride, Fitzgerald added: 'Jamie's agent rang me last week when I had him in at Newmarket to see if he could ride him there and I told him we would be going to Donny with the horse.

'I told him he could ride him there if he wanted, but I hadn't spoken to the owner at that point. I thought he'd win and it worked out well.

'It's great to have been part of something so memorable.

'Jamie's father and my father were brought up in the same sort of area in Tipperary, so the two families will have known each other for years.

'It's nice to help out as we've known Jack and Lynda Ramsden, Jamie's in-laws, for a long time and Emma (Spencer's wife) actually rode a horse for us on the Flat one day.

'There are those little connections there and it just all adds to the fabric of things.'

The tie also cost bookmakers a pretty penny as most elected to pay out on both men.

However, the layers were quick to price up 2006 champion Ryan Moore as the red-hot favourite to regain his crown next season.

Unable to throw down a serious challenge to Spencer and Sanders this term due to spending a considerable time on the sidelines, bookmakers believe he will soon be back on top.

William Hill go 4-9, while Ladbrokes offer a more generous 4-6.

Hill's rate Spencer a 7-2 shot, one point shorter than Sanders on 9-2, while Ladbrokes have taken a different view after Spencer warned he does not wish to become embroiled in such a taxing battle for championship honours next year.

They have Sanders at 11-4 and Spencer at 9-2.

(C) PA Sport