Bowen back for more

Peter Bowen chases more Perth success in the feature race at the Scone track tonight.

The Pembrokeshire trainer, whose long distance raiders undertake a mammoth roundtrip of nearly 800 miles, is represented by Lotus Pond in the £15,000 Heineken UK Handicap Chase.

Bowen, successful in the same race with Mumbles Head in 2013, said: “He was point-topointing with our son Mickey and has won three from three since coming to us. The trip won’t be a problem and, as always, it’s worth coming all the way up for the prize money.”

Conceding weight all round is the Nicky Richards-trained Ballyboker Breeze, a winner at Aintree in June while Petrou represents Dan and Harry Skelton, who are leading the way in the trainer and jockey’s championship tables respectively.

Brian Hughes and Donald McCain are a newly-formed partnership to fear and they team up with first-time blinkered Knock House.

Gordon Elliott is doublehanded with Flaxon Flare and Swingbridge, with the latter partnered by champion jockey Richard Johnson.

Elliott, who saddled the maiden winner of his career at Perth with Arresting in 2006, sends his first runners of the year to the course.

Now a dual-Grand National and Cheltenham Gold Cupwinning handler, he has nine runners on the card, starting with Youghal By The Sea under Johnson in the opening Mackie’s Cream Of The Crop Novices’ Hurdle.