Cheltenham Festival-winning jockey pips Rob James to land eastern title as season reaches a thrilling crescendo

Last Sunday's Fairyhouse fixture was the final meeting in the eastern area and we have a new regional champion rider in Barry Stone. His single winner on the card made all the difference, seeing him home by one (21-20) from Rob James.

After Rob had won both divisions of the four-year-old mares' maiden on runners from his yard, the vital race was the first division of the geldings' maiden in which Barry rode Smoke Trail for Jonathan Fogarty to beat Rob on Lazare De Star, giving him a three-winner lead. Rob made it four winners on the day with the help of two for Donnchadh Doyle, but it wasn't enough.

It was fitting that the Fogarty team supplied Barry with the decisive winner, since the stable has been his biggest contributor, providing seven wins, including a brilliant treble in all three four-year-old maidens on a Lingstown card in November. Gary Murphy has supplied him with five wins and he's had plenty of support from a wide range of trainers, mostly Wexford-based.