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Belgian jockey Christophe Soumillon will be crowned France’s champion rider for the tenth time after reigning title holder Pierre-Charles Boudot withdrew from the last four meetings of the year.

Soumillon held a nine win lead over Boudot of 182 wins to 173 but the defending champion gave up the chase when he announced he would not ride at the remaining four flat meetings this year.

Soumillon, 37, now sits five titles behind record holder Yves Saint-Martin who won 15 championships.

“The last three or four weeks battling with Pierre-Charles for the title have been a lot of fun,” said Soumillon.

Ireland’s Oisin Murphy has won the 2018 Stobart Annual Leading Flat Jockey award which is based on the number of winners ridden during a calendar year in the UK.

The 23-year old has recorded 198 victories from 1130 rides at a strike rate of 18 per cent, 22 winners ahead of Champion Flat Jockey Silvestre de Sousa.

Murphy, Qatar Racing’s retained jockey, won five British Group One races during 2018.