Fallon levels title race

Kieren Fallon, chasing a fourth jockeys` championship, drew level with Pat Eddery at the top of the standings when a sparkling treble took his seasonal score to 57 at Beverley yesterday.

Ironically the middle leg, the wellbacked Pulau Penang, had to be content with only a share of the spoils as Fallon forced the Gerard Butler-trained mare up to dead-heat with Green Casket, ridden by Pat`s brother Paul, in the Eve Rail Stakes.

Fallon had opened his account in the Eve Rail Claiming Stakes (Division One) on Minandao and made it three when the Michael Stoute-trained Photographer ran away with the Eve Rail Maiden, the hot favourite Fille De Bucheron fading quickly to finish a well-beaten third.

'Someone has just said in the weighing room that there are another 13 days of Sunday racing this season and did not seem too happy about it - but the more the merrier I say,' said Fallon, with a broad smile.

Minandao was getting Julie Camacho off the mark for this, her fourthseason with a licence, but she is to pack in the training game at the end of the campaign to spend more time with her young family.

Her father, Maurice, said: 'It was a desperate measure to get a winner! She had 20lb in hand and if she hadn`t won it it would have been a bit rough. She will go to the sales later in the year.'

Butler was not present to see Pulau Penang, but Green Casket`s trainer Jeremy Glover could not believe what he saw, and he added: 'In 17 years training I have never had a horse in a dead-heat and now I have had two in a fortnight.

'Mantles Pride was involved in one here two weeks ago and it must have been a million-to-one chance to have another so soon at the same track.'

Paul Eddery is now first-choice jockey to Brian Smart, who watched him complete a double when bringing top-weight Honest Warning home with a comfortable half-length to spare in the Tankclean Handicap.