KEVIN Darley, knocked off the top perch by Kieren Fallon after making a gallant bid to retain his championship crown, is to ride in Hong Kong this winter.

The Sheriff Hutton jockey will display his talents around Sha Tin and Happy Valley for the best part of three months, but will enjoy a break before he returns to action.

Darley said: "I'll have a holiday first and get some skiing in and, as I'm not going to Hong Kong until January, I will also be able to spend Christmas at home with the family, which will be nice."

Although he failed by eight winners to match Fallon's 2001 score, Darley ended up with a tally of 158, six more than when he became the first northern-based jockey in living memory to capture the flat title last year.

"I was delighted with the way the year went - I've had my best-ever season," said Darley, who was generous in his praise of his conqueror, who was winning the championship for the fourth time in five years.

Fallon was denied the opportunity of extending his sequence last season when a crashing fall at Royal Ascot in June left him with a severe shoulder injury which neccessitated a six-and-a-half hour operation and kept him on the sidelines for six months.

Darley said: "I have all the admiration in the world for Kieren to come back from such a serious injury and win the title. I know how he feels to win it. It's hard to keep the numbers up. It's not the riding as much as the travelling which is the killer, but all credit to him for the determination he's shown."

Newmarket-based Fallon started his career in Ryedale a decade or so ago with Jimmy FitzGerald and the Norton trainer was delighted to see his former protege regain the title.

Recalling the fall, which came perilously close to ending the jockey's career, FitzGerald said: "I visited him at home after his operation and he was in so much pain, he didn't know whether to stand up, sit down, or what to do with himself. It's some achievement to come back from that and be champion."

Fallon, 37, was obviously over the moon to finish on top of the pile again. "I had a bit of a sticky patch during the last month and, with Kevin riding so well, I began to get a bit worried that it was going to slip away from me, but we got there in the end."

Fallon paid tribute to all the trainers who had employed him and also to Ryedale-based David Pollington, who books his rides.

He said: "I have had great support from lots of trainers and David, my agent, has done a great job for me again."

Fallon will spend the winter riding in Japan, but will be back in Britain in good time to defend his title when the new flat turf season kicks off next March.

"Once you have it," he said of the jockey's crown, "you don't want to lose it."

* Malcolm Jefferson, who sent three horses on the 530-mile round-trip to Wincanton last Saturday and then withdrew them after being unhappy with the state of the ground, has been forced to revert to 'Plan B' for one of the trio, his stable-star Dibea Times.

The Norton trainer felt that the going at Wincanton was faster than he had been led to believe and, as a result, he was not prepared to risk any of his intended runners, Dibea Times, Mytimie or Clear Dawn. Jefferson said: "Dibea Times will now go to Newcastle next month for the Fighting Fifth Hurdle."

Updated: 10:31 Thursday, November 15, 2001