Bowe lands point-to-point award
KILTEALY-BASED trainer Colin Bowe (Milestone Stable) was the winner of the national point-to-point title at the Horse Racing Ireland Awards during the week, bringing the trophy back to Wexford for the sixth time in the past seven years, illustrating once again Wexford’s domination of this branch of the equine industry.
It was a surprise to me that this was Bowe’s first time to pick up the accolade as he has been the dominant trainer in Ireland for the past decade, taking the leading trainer award seven times in that period. Since the 2007/2008 season, he has had 343 winners, and 301 seconds.
He is following in the hoof-prints of his main rider, Barry O’Neill, who won the award in 2018 and 2017, and Jamie Codd who took it in 2013, 2014 and 2016.
There is no doubt that Colin Bowe was a deserving recipient as 2019 was probably his best season, even by his high standards. He sent out 45 winners, falling just two short of Robert Tyner’s all-time record of 47 set in 2009.
His most successful season to date saw him end up with 13 more winners than any other handler, as he claimed the leading trainer award for the fifth straight year and seventh in all.
With 21 winners in the ultra-competitive four-year-old maiden division, he was responsible for two of the biggest priced sellers of the season, Papa Tango Charly (£440,000) and Ferny Hollow (£300,000). On the track, his £440,000 graduate of the previous year, Envoi Allen, won four bumpers, culminating with the
Champion race at the Cheltenham Festival, and he has continued unbeaten over hurdles.
Barry O’Neill was again included in the nominees after retaining his riders’ title, along with handler Sam Curling from Tipperary and ladies riding champion, Maxine O’Sullivan. Jamie Codd was among the nominees in the National Hunt Achievement award, which went to Gavin Cromwell.
There seemed to be a determination to shake things up a bit this year, with Rachael Blackmore getting the National Hunt Award ahead of champion rider Paul Townend who also won Willie Mullins his first Cheltenham Gold Cup, and the Flat award went to Jessica Harrington, with not an O’Brien in sight despite the achievements of Aidan in training and Donnchadh in the saddle.
Colin Bowe has made a bright start towards retaining his trainers’ title for the sixth year in a row and has racked up 13 winners in the Autumn P2P, session, ten of them in four year old maidens. At the same stage last year had had only six winners to his name. If he can maintain his momentum he must make a serious bid to erase Tyner’s record next June.