TEEN IDOL
JAMES BOWEN 17-year-old hailed as next AP is hot property and loving it
AFTER asking directions to the Guinness Village, it’s the next question on every Cheltenham punter’s lips.
“Who’s James Bowen riding in the ‘Martin Pipe’?”
A year and a day has passed since Bowen celebrated his 16th birthday by riding Indian Leader, trained by brother Mickey, to victory at Howick point-to-point in Gwent.
He’s now 46 days from being the youngest-ever champion conditional jockey – beating older brother Sean’s previous best set in April 2015.
Since October, Bowen, son of Haverfordwest trainer Peter, has been retained by Nicky Henderson’s Seven Barrows stable, and his craft has drawn comparison with no less a jockey than the great Sir AP McCoy.
“I wasn’t really expecting it,” admits Bowen (right), 17 yesterday. “It’s gone really well. It’s been amazing to sit on some of the horses that I have – to see horses like Altior and Buveur D’Air on the gallops every day.”
Aged eight, Bowen took on Sean and their two cousins on horseback before being eligible to compete on the pony racing circuit the following year, riding “about 90” winners.
Graduating to pointing at 16 – he had left formal education at Ysgol Bro Gwaun in Fishguard two years earlier to be home schooled – Bowen racked up a record 30 successes on his way to the novice rider title. News of the prodigy spread, sparking interest from Gordon Elliott, where Bowen had spent working holidays in his teens, Sean’s boss, Paul Nicholls – and Henderson. “My dad got chatting to him one day and it was brought up in conversation,” reveals Bowen, “and Seven Barrows is a great job.” Bowen’s headline triumph on 13-yearold Raz De Maree in Chepstow’s Welsh Grand National in January came for Co Meath-based Gavin Cromwell. A week later he excelled on the Henderson-trained William Henry to lift the Lanzarote Hurdle at Kempton, prompting owner Dai Walters to hail him as “another AP”. Bowen doesn’t share the 20-time champion’s intensity – “I wouldn’t be getting too worked up about things” – but there are definite echoes of McCoy when asked to talk ambition. “I get a buzz out of every winner,” he answers. I’d love to win a Grand National or a Gold Cup, but one thing I’d prefer is to be champion jockey. The big races mean a lot, but I’d love to be consistently riding winners – week in, week out – and hopefully I can get there one day.” By the way, the Guinness Village is in Tattersalls, level with the final fence, and Bowen is set to partner Henderson’s Lanzarote fifth Diese Des Bieffes in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle on Friday. “He got big-handicap experience under his belt running in the Lanzarote last time, which he will have learned a lot from,” he says. “He’s got a good chance.”
I get a buzz out of every winner – to be champion jockey is my aim