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Wales Online
24-04-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
Humble Welshman sacrifices everything, wins £2m and is now the best there is
Humble Welshman sacrifices everything, wins £2m and is now the best there is Sean Bowen Jockey Sean Bowen (left) and trainer Rebecca Curtis celebrate after their horse Haiti Couleurs won the BoyleSports Irish Grand National Chase at Fairyhouse Racecourse in County Meath, Ireland (Image: PA Wire ) Pembrokeshire's Sean Bowen says becoming champion jockey has been a 'crazy amount of work,' but is already focused on retaining the title next year After 172 wins and earning more than £2 million in prize money over the season, Bowen will receive the coveted champion jockey trophy this Saturday. In the 11-month long season, the 27-year-old could not be denied the ultimate prize in his profession. Building an unassailable 32-win advantage over his next closest competitor Harry Skelton, he says he's 'really looking forward' to picking up the trophy this weekend. But the road to the title has not always been smooth. Article continues below In the 2023/24 season he led the standings comfortably, before suffering a nasty knee injury on Boxing Day, which kept him out of the saddle for six weeks. This allowed friend and rival, Harry Cobden to make up ground, eventually pipping Bowen to the championship. Along with the risk of injury, jockeys often face gruelling weight cuts, sometimes shedding up to half a stone in the hours leading up to races. That commitment to strict diet and extreme weight loss on demand is a huge sacrifice few would be able to take on. Through the challenges, Bowen calls his family his biggest supporters. His younger brother, James, is also a successful jockey, while his older brother Mickey and parents Peter and Karen are renowned trainers. 'I'm so blessed, everything's gone so well. From the start of my riding career, I couldn't have ever imagined being here and I'm so, so lucky and have so much great support,' Bowen said. Surprisingly, Bowen is allergic to horses but says his aspirations of greatness first came when riding with his brothers at his rural Pembrokeshire home. 'All three of us would have been racing up the gallops, myself, Mickey and James. You always look up to those champion jockeys and want to be like them. 'That's why you want to be a jockey - to be champion jockey, that's the dream,' he said. The achievement marks the first time a Welsh-born jockey has won the title since 1954, when Dick Francis won. Article continues below Bowen now spearheads what some are calling a golden generation in Welsh horse racing. 'Obviously I'm proud of being from Wales. It's not only me now, there's four of us in the top 10 (that are Welsh). Wales has produced so many good jockeys, we're punching well above our weight for such a little country,' Bowen said. Following a long championship, some jockeys slow down after a successful season, but Bowen insists that he's only just getting started. 'It's a crazy amount of work but, at the same time, I want to win it again,' he said.
The Irish Sun
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Haiti Couleurs powers to Irish Grand National glory as emotional Sean Bowen hails ‘unbelievable' win
SEAN BOWEN was left shocked as the soon-to-be champion jockey in Britain claimed the Irish Grand National with Haiti Couleurs. The 13-2 shot raced prominently alongside Bushmans Pass before the rival faded as he ploughed onto victory at 2 Sean Bowen celebrates onboard Haiti Couleurs on their way to winning the BoyleSports Irish Grand National Chase on day three of the Fairyhouse Easter Festival 2 Wales' Sean Bowen and winning trainer Rebecca Curtis became the first non-Irish winners of the race since 2014 Bowen had kept plenty in reserve as Haiti Couleurs pulled clear to win by three and a quarter lengths from the ever-game Any Second Now with Quai De Bourbon third and Dunboyne fourth. Speaking to He said: "I honestly can't believe it. He was doing a half-speed the whole way round, he was hacking and at the same time I was frightened as he got fairly revved up beforehand. "I actually thought I'm a bit too keen, as he was doing everything in second gear. read more on horse racing "I'm so grateful to everyone, obviously I couldn't ride him at Cheltenham and I'm so grateful to Becky for letting me back on him. "He just stays very well and jumps very, very well. No words, no words." He added: "To be champion jockey is all I've ever wanted and I supposed when you get it then you want to do more. "I need the big winners as well and it's great that this lad has done it for me." Most read in Horse Racing Haiti Couleurs has now been trimmed into 14-1 from 25-1 for next year's Grand National at Aintree by Betfair Sportsbook. But trainer America's oldest horse racing track lays abandoned after closing down following 170 years of history The all-Welsh success for Rebecca Curtis and Sean Bowen was the first non-Irish winner since 2014. The Brizzle Boys owned horse's trainer was shocked but delighted with the result. She added: "He's just so tough. I was a little bit worried as he likes to jump his way to the front and all the time I hoped he wasn't doing too much. After the second last I got excited and I knew he'd keep going. "We went a bit wild when he won. I'm a speechless now. It's amazing and a massive boost for the yard. "Could you ever imagine he can become a Gold Cup-type horse? He's not slow, I know he's won over three [miles] five [furlongs] in his last two races but he doesn't need to have that trip. He loves Cheltenham too."
