Kevin Darley became the first jockeyin Britain to reach a century this year when Margaret`s Dancer won thehorsesmouth.co.uk Selling Handicap at Thirsk this evening.
Darley brought the Les Eyre-trained gelding with a sustained run to get the better of Trysor close home to win by a head.
This is the seventh time Darley has ridden 100 winners or more in a season, though three of his successes have come on the all-weather before the Turf season started and do not count towards the jockeys` championship.
He recalled: 'It is not my fastest ton, that was when I reached a hundred for the first time, ending up with my best score of 153. But it is good to do it again.'
And when asked about his title hopes he added: 'There is a long way to go, I will keep hanging in there, I am getting a lot of support off a lot of people though as usual I am having to travel all over the place and at this time of the year it becomes harder to find winners.
'A lot of horses reach their mark as far as handicaps are concerned and the nicer two-year-olds are coming out down the south - racing is getting more competitive too but if I am still there at the end of the night meetings it will be more of a level playing field then.'
Pat Eddery and Richard Quinn are his main adversaries in the championship chase and Darley added: 'Hopefully they will be going for the more competitive events while I will be staying up here (in the north) and making the best of it I can.'
Eyre said: 'What a rider, and it is brilliant to give him his 100th winner. Unlike some jockeys Kevin always listens to what trainers have to say and he gave Margaret`s Dancer, who he has won on here before, a peach of a ride.'
