Four-day ban hits de Sousa’s hopes of catching Hanagan

Thirsk-based de Sousa was found guilty of careless riding aboard Teide Peak, who finished second in the EBF Maiden.

The Brazilian, who is third in the charts behind Paul Hanagan and Kieren Fallon, will be sidelined between October 19-21 and on October 24.

De Sousa had earlier in the week ridden a four-timer at Pontefract on Monday to reignite his title challenge.

The ban is likely to see Fallon, the six-times champion who is forcing an effective alliance with Luca Cumani, emerge as the biggest threat to Malton-based Hanagan – the reigning champion.

A measure of the championship’s gruelling nature is that all three protagonists are booked to ride at York tomorrow before they dash off to Wolverhampton for an all-weather evening meeting.

However, there will be an intriguing sub-plot on the Knavesmire to their riding endeavours – the race to finish top trainer at York in 2011 is set for a thrilling conclusion with four local yards in contention for the HA Fox Jaguar Championship.

Richard Fahey, Mick Easterby and Kevin Ryan have each notched eight successes, with Tim Easterby posting just one fewer. All four are likely to have multiple entries on Friday and Saturday, York’s final meeting of the season, as Fahey looks to win the title for a sixth successive season.

Malton-based Fahey said: “Competition is never a bad thing and we will be having plenty of runners – make no mistake about that. We will probably have more than one in every race, so we will be doing our best to hang onto it.”

Tim Easterby has been top trainer once before in 1999 and is eager to emulate that achievement this time around.

He said: “Being a Yorkshireman, it’s our local track – so it’s a big thing for us. I just hope we can win it.”

n The Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster is being considered as a possible end-of-season target for Jessica Harrington’s exciting juvenile Dragon Pulse.

The Futurity Stakes winner went down by just half-a-length to Power in the National Stakes at the Curragh on his latest start and connections considered reopposing the winner in this weekend’s Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket.

But Harrington feels conditions at Headquarters could be too fast for her charge and she is keeping her powder dry with a trip to Town Moor pencilled in if the ground is right.

As Dragon Pulse does not hold an entry in the Racing Post Trophy, connections would have to pay £17,500 to add him to the field for the October 22 race.

Twenty-eight horses are in the mix for the one-mile contest following the latest forfeit stage, with Aidan O’Brien responsible for no less than 12 of the possible participants

Another trainer with ground concerns is in-form John Gosden. His progressive two-year-old Fencing will miss the Middle Park if the Newmarket ground remains on the fast side.

He’s also indicated that his King George hero, Nathaniel, will only run on Qipco Champions Day at Ascot on Saturday week if ground conditions ease.

One horse set to miss the meeting is the Queen’s Dante hero Carlton House, last seen finishing third to Pour Moi in the Epsom Derby.

Despite impressing in a recent gallop under trainer Sir Michael Stoute’s watchful eye, Her Majesty’s racing manager John Warren indicated: “It’s unlikely that he’ll run. Taking everything into account I think we’ll leave him until next year.”