Sanders going all out to be champion jockey
(by Lee Mottershead of racingpost.co.uk)
MAN of the moment Seb Sanders on Sunday declared that he has a "great chance" of dethroning Kieren Fallon and being crowned this season's champion jockey.
In unstoppable form in July having picked up an astonishing 44 winners for 22 different trainers, Sanders currently sits in third place in the championship on 93 victories, just nine behind current pacesetter Fallon, who identified Sanders as his principal rival at the start of the season.
With Fallon on Monday serving the second day of afour-day suspension and with another day's ban arriving next week, Sanders - hero of Saturday's Vodafone Stewards' Cup on Pivotal Point - could make further inroads into the reigning champion over the coming days.
Recently as big as 40-1 to win the title but now down to 10-1 with Ladbrokes behind 2-7 favourite Fallon, Sanders - two winners behind Frankie Dettori but four in front of Darryll Holland - yesterday promised to go all out in search of the weighing room's biggest prize.
"I've got a good chance, in fact a great chance of being champion jockey," he said. "I'm no 40-1 shot that's for sure, and with the way things have gone in July, I've given myself a great chance.
"I've been really going for the championship all the time yet the thought of being champion jockey has never really been there - but it is now.
"The month I've just had has given me a great chance. I think at one point I was about 30 winners behind Kieren, but it's now a nice thought that I could well be champion jockey."
Reflecting on his July winning spree, Sanders admitted to near-incredulity as to how well the month had gone, while also pointing to the fine form of trainer Sir Mark Prescott, to whom the rider was promoted to stable jockey for the first time this year.
"It's been phenomenal really," said Sanders. "I've spoken with a few people and no-one can remember anyone riding that many winners in a month. The 44 winners also came in less than a month as I didn't ride a winner in the first few days of July.
"Sir Mark has really got going recently and that's been a huge bonus. I've had seven wins on Masafi and three on Elusive Dream as well and he's been delighted that I've been riding winners."
Particularly pleased to have landed the Stewards' Cup for long-time patron Peter Makin, Sanders added: "Winning on Pivotal Point was great. I've been riding most of the Makins' horses for about ten years. They've had a couple of tough years so it was really nice to ride them a big winner."