Sanders and Spencer all square after the longest of race days

If Jamie Spencer and Seb Sanders were a little bleary-eyed as they arrived at Shaftesbury Avenue for an appeal hearing at 7am, at least Spencer left with a spring in his step.

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The British Horseracing Authority panel upheld the stewards' decision to take the race off Sanders-ridden Classic Descent at Newmarket last Friday and promote the second-placed Black Rain, who was the mount of Spencer.

So instead of trailing by two, Spencer made the long trek to Musselburgh still level with Sanders on 185 wins.

Spencer left the hearing after just 20 minutes to fly to the Edinburgh course where he had one winner — Cha Cha Cha— from five rides before journeying on to the evening meeting at Wolverhampton.

The 36-year-old Sanders, who did not ride at Musselburgh, was left to regret the Pythagoras theorem which was used to demonstrate that Classic Descent had caused Black Rain to drift three horses' widths across Newmarket Heath, costing around 1.4 inches.

He was eventually beaten by a short head, about two inches.

The panel, headed by former 1,000 Guineas winner Attraction's owner, the Duke of Roxburghe, dismissed the appeal, which was lodged by Classic Descent's trainer Peter Makin, confirming that the Newmarket stewards had been right to disqualify Sanders' mount.

Certainly, the film from five different positions confirmed that Black Rain had been marginally impeded with 100 yards to run and that Spencer had been unable to use his whip for 10 strides.

A philosophical Sanders said: "It would have been a two-winner swing and we came down here hopeful, but it was really a 50-50 chance. I still maintain I was in the right but it went against us.

"I'll just have to dust myself down, put my head down and get on with the job. There have been so many twists and turns this season that you never know what is going to happen.

"It's been a rollercoaster and I've been in the front seat. But it has been great for punters.

"I can't stop Jamie winning but, obviously, it would be nice to win the title for myself."

Sanders immediately hit back at Wolverhampton's evening meeting with two winners to Spencer's one to level the scores again at 187-187.

Both jockeys head into today's fixtures at Musselburgh and Wolverhampton with 11 rides apiece.

Sanders will be banking on short-priced favourites Double Banded and Alma Mater delivering the goods for him in Scotland, while the stand-out ride for Spencer there looks to be Crocodile Bay in the concluding race.

However, Spencer looks to hold stronger claims at Wolverhampton's evening fixtures where he is likely to be on board short-priced favourites in four of the six races.

Spencer has seven rides, including the mount on November Handicap favourite Pippa Greene, at Doncaster tomorrow compared to Sanders' six in the final meeting of the championship season.

Meanwhile jockey Graham Gibbons was banned for 35 days (Nov 16-Dec 26) by the BHA Disciplinary Panel yesterday for being over the drink drive limit when breath tested at Hamilton on September 23.