SEAN Bowen could hardly have picked a better venue to ride his landmark 200th winner of the season than his local track.
The Pembrokeshire-born rider became just the fifth jockey to notch up a double century over jumps in Britain when partnering Harbour Island to victory in a novice hurdle at Ffos Las last week.
He follows in the footsteps of Sir Anthony McCoy, Richard Johnson, Brian Hughes and Peter Scudamore.
Breaking McCoy’s record tally of 289 winners in a campaign appears out of reach – for this season at least – but Bowen is already assured of his second jockeys’ title as he was more than 100 winners clear of nearest rival Harry Skelton at the start of this week.
Bowen had a number of fancied rides at the Carmarthenshire course on Friday, but had to wait until the third race for the winner he needed. Harbour Island, one of the five horses he rode to victory at an evening meeting in April – was sent off the even-money market leader and made no mistake as he coasted home by eight lengths.
His win was by no means the only Welsh success on a damp afternoon where the home team made their presence felt.
River Voyage took the opening three-mile handicap chase for trainer Rebecca Curtis. For much of the race he did not look the likely winner, with Steal The Moves some 10 lengths clear of the chasing pack jumping the final fence. But he tired dramatically on the run-in and Curtis’ charge nabbed him close to the line under Toby McCain-Mitchell.
Esperti, bidding for his third course success inside a year, was pulled up.
Evan Williams bagged his customary Ffos Las success when Shade Of Winter ran out a wide-margin winner of the maiden hurdle. And Brian Eckley, who trains just outside Brecon, took the two-mile handicap hurdle with Timeforarum.
In-form Herefordshire handler Clive Boultbee-Brooks and jockey Richie McLernon teamed up for a double via El Gavilan and Libre de Choeur.
Bowen did not have to wait long before riding his 201st winner of the term. That came at Kempton on Saturday when partnering the in-form Hold The Serve to a comfortable success in a 2m5f handicap hurdle. He was registering his third win on the spin.
That was the only Welsh winner at the Sunbury track. Sean’s brother James had to make do with third on favourite Mustang Du Breuil in the Grade 2 Dovecote Novices’ Hurdle, while Ben Jones – who had been on the mark at Newbury in midweek on Personal Ambition in a two-mile chase – filled the same spot on Bad in a two-and-a-half mile handicap chase.
And the Sam Thomas-trained Katate Dori failed in his bid to win the valuable Ladbrokes Trophy for the second year in a row. He finished a well-beaten eighth.
That was pretty much the only low point of the week for his owner Dai Walters. He saw his Doctor On Call win a three-mile novice hurdle at Ludlow on his first attempt at three miles, then on Friday his Blue Las beat the hot favourite Fun Fun Fun – a rare runner at Exeter for Irish maestro Willie Mullins – in a mares’ chase.
Over at our sister track Chepstow on Saturday, the big race of the day – the Pertemps Network Handicap Chase – went to Joe Tizzard’s Western General.
The next meeting at Ffos Las is our St David’s Raceday on Sunday, March 1.
