Sanders and Spencer tie for title

DONCASTER, England -- Seb Sanders and Jamie Spencer shared the British flat jockeys' championship after Spencer drew level with his rival in the final race of the season at Doncaster.

Honors were even, at 190 apiece, for the first time since 1923 when the great Steve Donoghue finished level with Charlie Elliott.

Sanders, leading by one, had to watch the last race from the weighing room after his mount was declared a non-runner.

Spencer coolly pushed Inchnadamph clear for a convincing triumph and then declared: "I'm tired. It's just such a relief and I cannot wait to shake Seb's hand as he'll be as happy as I am that it's all over."

Sanders said: "It wasn't hard to watch that last race and Jamie honestly deserved it as much as me.

"Coming here today, with the pain of losing a real possibility, and to have been beaten would have been very hard after such a long season.

"It's just a brilliant feeling as I've been trying for the past seven or eight years and my dream has finally come true.

"All I have to do is ride the horses and a lot of people deserve credit for everything that I have been able to achieve this year."

Spencer, who won the 2005 title outright, said this was just as good.

"Any time you win a championship it's going to be special," he said. "You really do feel the pressure and it has just been head to head - as soon as one of us caught the other it would change again.

"People behind the scenes have been great and there have been lots of people who have given me rides that normally might not

"Words can't really describe this feeling and right now I just want to get a lie-down and have a sleep.

Sanders went two ahead when Incomparable won an eventful first division of the six-furlong juvenile maiden after Godolphin's Omnicat swerved late when in front to unship Eddie Ahern and hand the race to Sanders.

Spencer triumphed on Generous Thought in the nursery and both riders were well in contention, aboard Minus Fifteen and Borderlescott respectively, before Spencer took the last race. E-mail to a friend