'I've fulfilled a childhood dream'
75,000 miles. 902 rides. 180 wins. Champion Jockey.Sean Bowen has fulfilled his childhood dream.After hitting 1,000 wins in February, the 27-year-old had already set his next goal - to become champion."It was obviously very exciting to hit the 1,000 wins. I'm very lucky. A lot of people don't get to hit the 1,000 winners in their career, so to get there was amazing," he said."For the last two or three years now this has been the goal. I really wanted it last year, and it didn't happen, this year has gone amazingly well and thankfully we got there."I've fulfilled a childhood dream. When I was racing the ponies up the gallops with my brothers I was pretending to be Sir AP McCoy, Brian Hughes or Richard Johnson - legends of the game."
Bowen missed out on last year's title after suffering a knee injury on Boxing Day when leading the Championship."I wasn't going to let it happen twice, I couldn't let the Championship slip again," he said."It was just a matter of starting this season off as fast as we possibly could and I managed to build up a good lead in the summer. Harry Skelton was fighting through Christmas but I built that lead back up again."The travelling is crazy. My car will have clocked up 75,000 miles in the season. I very rarely get to go home much so, it's difficult, but it is all well worth it when you're crowned Champion Jockey."It's hard work mentally and physically, I've kept the body in good shape this season. Mentally, it can be hard work, never having a day off, and just keeping going every day."I can't stand seeing somebody else win on a horse that I should have been on, that's why I'll travel up and down the country in one day for a ride if I have to."
Family support
Sean's parents, Peter and Karen Bowen, have been training racehorses since he was a child."Mum and dad from day one have given me wonderful support," he explained."You see how hard they work. They live down in Pembrokeshire, and they would drive all the way to Ayr or Perth just for us to win a pony race."So if you see that, if you see them doing that for you, then I suppose that's probably what's given us the drive in us to want to do more, and don't mind getting in the car and driving wherever you need to go."My partner Harriet puts up with a lot, because I see her very rarely, we're getting married in July and then we have our honeymoon, we're really looking forward to that break together."
The perfect final week
The Welshman has finished the season in fine style, starting with a five-timer at his home track, Ffos Las."It was actually my first ever five-timer. I've managed a few four-timers, but never a five-timer. It was a magic day - it was in front of family and the Welsh crowd who were brilliant, that was a day I'll never forget," he added.The Welshman followed up that success with an Irish Grand National victory aboard the Rebecca Curtis-trained Haiti Couleurs."It's the biggest win of my career, to go over there and beat the Irish was obviously brilliant, and to do it for Rebecca, who's a Welsh trainer, was so good, it was an incredible day," said Bowen.
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Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
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The Herald Scotland
2 hours ago
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But there are a lot of players who will get recruited from other countries who will come and go in the blink of an eye. Fans will forget about them in a couple of weeks. 'But I don't think the fanbase helps things ether if I am being honest. People don't get as excited about signing a player or a manager from the Championship as they do about bringing in a foreign player or manager. The media is exactly the same.' Ferguson has also witnessed first hand a reluctance to field the best kids who are coming through the youth ranks at Premiership clubs despite the obvious ability they possess and the success which those who have, often because his manager has had no other choice, been promoted have enjoyed. 'There are also young players within academies who are good enough,' he said. 'I have worked at Rangers and seen players who could step up and play first team football far sooner. There are kids out there who aren't getting anywhere close first team football at the age of 19, 20, 21. 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(Image: SNS Group Alan Harvey) 'I think it's a very, very good piece of work. I don't think managers will build their team around the loan player, it won't be as extreme as that. But I think a player will fit in straight away, They won't be trying to force their way into the team. It is a refreshing concept.' He continued, 'Will a young player who is number 21, 22 or 23 in a first team squad be considered for it? Or will they be kept at their parent club to make up numbers? That would be my concern. Will the guy who is 22 or 23 be allowed to go out and play? If he isn't, he could spend another season not playing. 'Is it best for the club in the long-term to get a player out, to get them experience of playing football, to get their name known, to hopefully have an impact? Massively. It should have a positive impact on the player and of course on the club. 'But a manager might want to hold onto him, just in case. He might have injuries and need to play a kid. That is how Forrester came through and established himself as a Premiership player. But, at the same time, six months could pass and a kid won't play. We will see how it works in practice. 'But we are very much on board with it at Stenhousemuir. We feel as though it's something that could be of value to us. Martin Christie, our head of recruitment, is speaking to clubs at the moment. There are ongoing conversations.' Ferguson is eager to see more Scottish players in the lower leagues getting the chance to show what they can do in the Premiership and more academy kids getting promoted into first teams than is currently the case. He fears the national team will ultimately suffer unless there is a long overdue change in attitudes and the trend he has identified is allowed to continue. 'Generally speaking, the first team manager at a club looks after the first team and that is it,' he said. 'That is the way it should be. 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But quite a few of these players are getting towards the end of their careers, they're in their late 20s or early 30s. 'Could getting five per cent of the Scottish players who are in the Premiership to follow Lewis Ferguson, Billy Gilmour and Scott McTominay and move on to a bigger league in Europe be a target? If it can be then surely five per cent of 100 is better than five per cent of 30. 'My real worry is the talent pool is getting diluted. That is definitely the trend. It is on a decline, a continuous decline. Unless something changes, Scottish players will be making up just 20 per cent of the teams in a few years.'
Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Leeds United get verdict on finishing above Man Utd in Premier League table
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