THE battle for the jockeys’ championship will go right to the wire if events at York Racecourse last night are a precedent.

Malton challenger Paul Hanagan and champion Ryan Moore went head-to-head at Knavesmire’s evening meeting – and it was the reigning king who came out on top.

After Hanagan had ridden a double at Thirsk earlier in the day, Moore hit right back with his own brace on the six-race York card – including taking the feature Lyric Stakes.

Earlier, Moore helped Thirsk trainer David Barron get into the winner’s enclosure when guiding La Zamora (16-1) to victory in the Seddon Property Stakes.

The four-year-old challenged Tyfos, who had led since the early stages, with a furlong-and-a-half left to travel of the six furlong sprint and got her nose in front inside the last 200 yards – keeping on gamely for a length-and-a-half success.

King Of Eden, the 9-4 favourite, was a head further back in third.

Barron said: “She’s come good. She has taken her time. All of a sudden in the last ten days, she has been working like she would go and do something like that.

“They still have to do it though.”

High Ambition couldn’t oblige for Hanagan in the Sky Bet Supporting The Yorkshire Racing Summer Festival Claiming Stakes, but Porgy (4-1), one of Malton trainer Richard Fahey’s two other runners in the race, took the honours. It was Fahey’s ninth York winner of the campaign – a haul which puts him five clear of near neighbour Tim Easterby.

Mon Brav (9-2) was given the Welcome To Yorkshire Backing A Winner Stakes by the stewards following a thrilling finish to racing. The horse, trained by Declan Carroll at Sledmere, lost out by a nose to Diman Waters in a photograph, but was then judged the winner following a stewards’ inquiry.

They judged that Diman Waters, trained by Eric Alston, had interfered with Mon Brav close to the finish.

Elsewhere, the opening Future Cleaning Services Apprentices Stakes saw Zambuka spring a 33-1 surprise.

The grey, ridden by Ross Atkinson, stuck her head in front with around two-and-a-half furlongs left to travel and had too much speed for her rivals – recording a three-length victory over Luv U Noo (6-1), trained by Malton’s Brian Ellison.

Samurai Sword (13-2) won the Co-operative Good With Food Median Auction Maiden Stakes for Godolphin’s rookie trainer Mahmood Al Zarooni and jockey Ahmed Ajtebi.

In his first appearance on a racecourse, the two-year-old made a fine start to his career – always in the frame throughout the seven furlong contest before withholding the challenge of Diamond Penny and Frankie Dettori to score by half-a-length.