Falls knock out pair

Richard Dunwoody and Tony Dobbin have been knocked out of action after falls on Saturday. The champion National Hunt jockey takes today off in order to recover from the effects of a fall from Herbert Buchanan at Newbury, while fellow Ulsterman Dobbin misses five mounts at Hexham after suffering mild concussion and facial cuts when Mutual Trust fell at Bangor.

"Richard is just a little stiff and sore," Dunwoody's agent, Robert Parsons, said.

Dunwoody dropped to second place in the jockeys' table on Saturday when Adrian Maguire nosed ahead -126 to 125 -through Postage Stamp at Newbury. William Hill keep Dunwoody as 4-7 favourite to retain his title, with last year's runner-up Maguire quoted at 5-4.

Kieran Fallon, suspended for six months for pulling fellow jockey Stuart Webster out of the saddle at Beverley last September, returns to the racecourse at Hamilton on Friday.

Fallon, 30, has spent much of the winter riding work in the United States of America. Webster does not know yet whether he will be riding at Hamilton.

n Chris Rutter is to appeal against a two-day suspension for careless riding on Indrapura at Lingfield on Saturday. The incident occurred on leaving the stalls when his mount veered to the left, while Fairelane, ridden by the apprentice Brian Hunter, veered right.