THERE was a nail-biting photo-finish climax to our sponsored race, the Northern Echo Handicap at Redcar yesterday, won in thrilling fashion by Time To Remember.

Locally trained at Great Habton in North Yorkshire by Tim Easterby, the winning distance recorded was the minimum possible - a short-head, but that won't worry loyal followers of Janus, advised to back Time To Remember and ultimately rewarded at the handsome odds of 25-1.

But it could have all been so different without the services of the successful jockey, Robert Winston, who thrilled the packed stands with a brilliant never-say-die ride to repel the desperate last-gasp challenge from the runner-up, General Hawk.

Time To Remember's co-owner breeder, Jim McGrath, a director of Timeform and member of Channel 4's racing team said after the race: "The credit for this win must go to the Head Lad, Dudley Taylor, and the lad responsible for riding him out over the past two months, Guy Brewer.

"The horse has been very headstrong in the past but he's got him settled beautifully.

"We thought he was going to be very useful after scoring at Pontefract last August, however he's shown nothing until now," added McGrath, who reckons Time To Remember might be even more effective over a mile in time.

In a nip-and-tuck finale to the end of the contest sponsored by our sister paper, The Clarion Handicap, Nouf, just came out best on the day.

The hot-favourite What-A-Dancer appeared to have matters well in hand as he hit the front over a furlong from home, only to be swamped in the shadow of the winning post by Nouf's withering late charge.

Mark Birch, representing his boss the Hambleton-based trainer Kevin Ryan reported: "The rain came just in time for the mare as she prefers some give in the ground."

Jockey Kieren Fallon is ten points clear at the top of the jockeys' table and is on course to regain the championship title he last won two years ago.

However, the three-time champion does not think it is going to be easy to shake off his closest challengers.

''I think it's going to be quite close,'' hesaid.

''Kevin Darley is there but I think Richard Quinn isn't out of it quite yet. It is a pity he got a suspension at Brighton the other day because that really would have made it interesting.

''Three of us going into the last couple of months with nothing between us.

"It's all to play for if you avoid the suspensions and injury. It's going to be interesting for the public.''

Darley won the championship for the first time last season after Fallon was hit by injury at Royal Ascot which ruled him out of the title race.

''It would be great to win the championship back,'' Fallon said. ''It's going to be tough.

''One of the previous years, I was way in front and I won by 50 or 60 winners and it wasn't that exciting but this year it's going to be.''

Fallon is riding as well as ever and has clearly recovered from his serious shoulder injury.

''This season's jockeys' title means a lot to me perhaps even more than the three I have got in the bag,'' he said.

''When I came back from my arm injury there were plenty of knockers out there.

"They were whispering that I wasn't as strong as before and that I wouldn't be able to make it back to the top.

''I knew then, right back in March, that the only way to properly shut them up would be to win the title back from Kevin.''