Rhys Flint finished third in last season's Conditional Jockey Championship

Teenager Rhys Flint has become just the the second Welshman to win the Conditional Jockey Championship.

The 19-year-old has emulated National Hunt stars AP McCoy and Mick Fitzgerald to win the top prize for young up-and-coming jockeys.

The Bridgend jockey is the first Welshman since Carl Llewellyn in 1987 to win the young riders crown.

Flint, who has been compared to 15-time Champion Jockey McCoy, sealed it by winning Saturday's Market Rasen opener.

Philip Hobbs' rider rode 40 winners to beat rivals Nick Scholfield to clinch the crown on the final day of National Hunt racing this season.

Flint stood in for the injured Danny Cook to ride the David Pipe-trained 6/4 favourite Brandy Butter to victory to move clear of Scholfield, who only had two booked rides at Sandown on Saturday.

Flint told the Racing Post: "I'm over the moon.

"It's also a relief in many ways, and I've got so many people to thank - trainers and owners who have given such a good support. I just hope I can keep those connections going next season.

606: DEBATE How good can Welsh jockey Rhys Flint become?

"It was my ambition at the start of the season to try and win the conditional title, but although I started off well, by halfway, Nick had gone about 15 clear of me and I was beginning to think that he had it in the bag.

"I have gradually closed the gap and my hopes have been high of winning the title for about the last month. It's brilliant."

The Conditional Championship is effectively akin to a young rider of the year title for jockeys that had not won more than 65 races before the start of this season.

And a 'conditional jockey' can reclaim pounds taken off the horses from the handicapper

Flint, who was third in last season's conditional race, is highly-rated in the racing fraternity and previously claimed the Hands and Heels title for rookie riders.

Grand National and Cheltenham Gold Cup double-winners McCoy and Fitzgerald had previously won the Conditional Championship in 1994 and 1992 respectively.

Fellow Welshman Llewellyn, who won two Grand Nationals in 1992 on Party Politics and on Earth Summit in 1998, was the first man to win the conditional title in 1997 with 41 wins.

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