Sean Bowen (photographed) is closing in on his fastest-ever century.
Britain’s champion jumps jockey ended last week on the 97-winner mark. And there is every chance he could even be into three figures by the time the new DragonBet Welsh Racing Festival gets under way on Friday.
Bowen boosted his tally for the season in a week where he again travelled the length of the country in search of success. He rode a double at Sedgefield on two favourites trained by James Owen, then added winners at Warwick, Southwell and Fontwell.
And on Sunday he was on the mark again, teaming up with his main ally Olly Murphy to land a beginners’ chase at Uttoxeter on Alnilam. The six-year-old only faced two rivals, but it was a decent contest with the beaten favourite Miami Magic second in Grade 1 company last season.
The long midweek trip to Sedgefield proved profitable for all three Bowens. Trainer Mickey landed a 2m 5f handicap chase with Aslukwoodhavit – partnered by stable conditional Shane Fenelon – while James rode Jet of Dreams to a comfortable victory in a two-mile chase.
Ben Jones has had a quieter summer period. But he added to his tally at Warwick in midweek when landing a two-runner handicap chase on Northern Bound. Jones made all the running on the favourite to run out a five-length victor ahead of his Dan Skelton-trained rival Got Grey. It was Jones’s 16th winner of the campaign.
And David Evans was on the board at Wolverhampton on Saturday evening, getting Top of Pleinmont to break his duck at the 10th time of asking in a 12-furlong handicap.
The next meeting at Ffos Las is on Thursday, October 16, when we stage our first jumps meeting of the autumn. As such, much of the focus this weekend will be on the DragonBet-sponsored Welsh Racing Festival which gets under way at our sister track Chepstow on Friday.
The three-day event looks like being one of the richest weekends in the history of Welsh sport with more than £550,000 in prize money up for grabs. Most of Britain’s top yards will be represented, with the likes of Fergal O’Brien, Dan Skelton and Paul Nicholls likely to have runners, while there has also been interest from Ireland.
The feature race on the opening day is the £80,000 Grade Two Persian War Novices’ Hurdle, which has a rich roll of honour as in recent years it has been won by the likes of top-level performers Blaklion, Thyme Hill and Silviniaco Conti. The following two days are headlined by the £75,000 Wasdell Group Silver Trophy and the £50,000 DragonBet Welsh Champion Hurdle
