Bowman named World’s Best Jockey
After leading most of the year, and thanks in part to his remarkable success with Winx, Hugh Bowman has taken the title of 2017 Longines World’s Best Jockey.
It is the first time the Australian jockey has won the award, which he secured with his victory in the recent Japan Cup in association with Longines.
Bowman won 10 of the world’s Top 100 Group or Grade 1 races and six of those victories came aboard Winx. In all, Bowman was first across the wire in the Tab Chipping Norton Stakes (Winx), Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup (Werther), China Horse Club George Ryder Stakes (Winx), Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Winx), Chairman's Sprint Prize (Lucky Bubbles), Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup (Werther), Colgate Optic White Stakes (Winx), Seppelt Turnbull Stakes (Winx), William Hill Cox Plate (Winx), and the Japan Cup in association with Longines (Cheval Grand).
The scoring process rewards jockeys for finishing in the top three, giving Bowman a total of 142 points for the year. With 124 points, second place went to Ryan Moore, who won the Longines World’s Best Jockey award in both 2014 and 2016. Frankie Dettori, who won the award in 2015, was third with 86 points.
Bowman will be recognised at a ceremony held during the gala dinner of the Longines Hong Kong International Races on 8 December at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre. The full and final standings can be found at www.ifhaonline.org
The awarding of the Longines World’s Best Jockey is based upon performances in the 100 highestrated Group 1 and Grade 1 races as established for the year by the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings Committee. The scoring incorporates races from 1 December to 30 November. Jockeys accrue 12 points for a win, six points for placing second, and four points for placing third.
This system and the presentation of the Longines World’s Best Jockey Award were both established in 2014 and marked the first time a jockey was quantitatively recognised as the best among his or her global peers. – www.ifhaonline.org.