DARLEY AND JOHNSTON LINK UP Kevin Darley`s bid to retain the Flat jockeys` championship title has received a boost with the news that the northerner will be riding for Middleham trainer Mark Johnston this year. Johnston, numerically the strongest trainer in the north of England with a string of 180, confirmed today that along with Darryll Holland, Darley will be at the top of the stable`s 'pecking order' for the year. 'That is exactly how we work,' Johnston said today. 'There is basically a list on the wall and the higher they are, the more rides they should get, that is how we have worked since 1998 when we stopped using stable jockeys. 'If someone rides a few winners then they start to go up the list and if someone starts to become unavailable because they are committed elsewhere then they go down. 'Other riders we will be using include Kieren (Fallon), Joe Fanning and Keith Dalgleish who will be riding a lot of our work here too, Michael Roberts, Royston Ffrench and the Hills brothers.' As well as riding for Johnston, Darley will be riding for Tim Easterby, Gerard Butler and Nick Littmoden when required. He is rated a 3-1 chance for the title by Coral Eurobet with Fallon the 4-7 favourite.
