Racing: Murtagh and Kinane keep up the fight to final day

Michael Kinane and Johnny Murtagh know what it is like to win Derbys, Arcs and Breeders' Cup races, but they still tussled like terriers over the four Flat races at Thurles yesterday that will help to decide which of the pair will be the Irish champion jockey of 2002.

With just those four contests at the Co Tipperary track, plus an eight-race card at Leopardstown on Sunday, left to decide the championship and with only one win separating the riders at the start of the day, Kinane was never going to allow the jet lag from his return from Tuesday's Melbourne Cup to hold him back.

Determination was not enough in the opening race, though, as Murtagh on the favourite, Zimbabwe, outbattled Kinane on Nopekan to level the scores at 75 apiece. Murtagh then inched ahead through the odds-on Hard Shoulder, while Kinane watched from the weighing room as his intended mount had to be withdrawn due to lameness.

Neither of the pair got in a blow in the next race, the Last Chance Maiden Stakes, but then Kinane's own last chance brought a winning result as the 11 times champion drove the 7-1 chance Yukon home to take the Holycross Handicap. "It was important to get one back after Johnny's double. Let's see what happens on Sunday," he said.

Both riders are expected to have a full book of mounts at Leopardstown as they pursue the title held by Pat Smullen, but Kinane is favoured by the bookmakers with Ladbrokes quoting him at 4-9 and Murtagh at 13-8.

As the final meeting of the Flat season in Britain gets under way at Doncaster today, there are no such problems for Kieren Fallon, who has the jockeys' championship in the bag. Richard Hughes and Seb Sanders, second and third respectively in the title race, put up a good fight but Fallon, who has ridden 143 winners this season is 17 clear of Hughes whose only ride today is aboard High Straits for Khalid Abdullah and Roger Charlton in the race for fillies and mares.

Fallon's next major engagement will be aboard Golan, who along with the Champion Stakes winner, Storming Home, has been invited to take part in the Japan Cup on 24 November. Dermot Weld, with yet another international prize in his sights after the Melbourne Cup success of Media Puzzle, trains the Irish representative, Irresistible Jewel, while Bright Sky is France's contender and Falbrav runs for Italy.

As the jumps season steps up a gear, Jim Lewis, the owner of Best Mate and Edredon Bleu, already has another Cheltenham Festival target, the Irish Independent Arkle Trophy, in the viewfinder after the impressive victory of Impek at Hereford yesterday. "I've backed him at 33-1 to win the Arkle," Lewis said. "It's still a bit early but I'm so pleased with him." The six-year-old was cut to 10-1 from 16-1 with Coral following his win.

* The Jockey Club have set dates for several high-profile disciplinary hearings. The jockey Dean Gallagher, who has tested positive for cocaine, will have his case heard next Thursday. On 20 November the trainer Ferdy Murphy faces a charge of bringing racing into disrepute by remarks made in the BBC television programme, Kenyon Confronts. The former jump jockey Dermot Browne, who has been warned off all courses for the past 10 years, will have his case examined on 21 November, and the Jockey Club have set aside three days, 27 to 29 November, to deal with another former rider Graham Bradley.