Harry Skelton will ascend to the champion jockey throne for the first time after a thrilling duel with Brian Hughes.
Ten winners separated the pair at the start of play this afternoon – but Hughes' one winner at Perth made it numerically impossible for him to catch his title rival.
Skelton, who chalked up his 150th winner at Ludlow on Wednesday, celebrated his triumph with another success in Exeter's opening novices' hurdle aboard Shentri.
With Hughes only having six rides on Friday and one on Saturday, he cannot make up the lost ground.
“I hope the people who have helped me get here will realise it might be my name there, but it’s a part of them as well," Skelton said.
“All the staff at Lodge Hill (his brother Dan's yard), I hope they can get a kick out of it and realise it is down to them.
“Tom Messenger (assistant trainer) has been great the whole way through. Quite often he’s the one to deal with me when we get back in the car when things haven’t gone to plan.
"He’s the first one to hear about it, but he’d always put me right and we’d move on to the next thing.”
Hughes had 200 more rides than Skelton through the season as he aimed for back-to-back championships.
“At the end of the day, he is a champion and I’d like my name to be just underneath his," Skelton said.
Earlier he had praised his agent Ian Popham for helping him rise to the top of the table – and stay there.
“Ian has been amazing. He’s my best friend and grafted hard over the last eight to 12 weeks, he’s done all he can to try to get me as many good rides and winners as he can," he told a Great British Racing press call.
"I think this is a testament to him as well – I think that stands well for his career.
"I’m very grateful for what he’s done.”
