Sean and James Bowen each rode winners at Stratford on Saturday.
Roaring Legend was even money to land a five-runner novice hurdle for Sean, and it turned out to be a straightforward ten-length success. While the horse is technically a novice, it was his seventeenth race on the flat and over hurdles, and he’s now won or been placed in fifteen of them. James was on the runner-up Cavern Club for his near-namesake James Owen.
The brotherly placings were reversed later, when Sean finished second to James. Callin Baton Rouge completed a hat-trick of handicap hurdles with James aboard for the father and son team of Charles and Adam Pogson. Despite a seventeen-pound rise in the weights she won by eight lengths. Twice she needed shaking up for a few moments, but once she took the lead approaching the final flight it was plain sailing.
Tim Vaughan’s first winner for 135 days came at Fontwell on Sunday when State of Honor, partnered by the in-form Freddie Gingell, won the 2m5f conditionals’ hurdle. The mare was winning at the thirteenth attempt and overcame interference from a loose horse more than once, notably when pushed towards the stand rail going to the final obstacle.
Sean Bowen was on the mark in the maiden hurdle with Prince Imperial, having his first start for Olly Murphy. He was winless in eight attempts over jumps, though he’d won six races on the level. Today he disputed the lead throughout until kicking on leaving the back straight. The Prince’s rivals were powerless and he finished 23 lengths ahead.
Bowen set out to make all in the 3m2f chase on Eurkash, but was unable to secure the inside berth on the approach to the last and on the run-in. Adam Wedge, riding the 25/1 shot Instant Gambler, tried again and again to get through and despite being squeezed onto the rail he succeeded with half a furlong left for what will have been a very satisfying victory – and on a horse with a lowly rating of 64 who hadn’t run for 565 days.
David Probert recorded his fourth double in nine days at Ascot’s meeting on Saturday.
To begin with he won on William Haggas’s The Reverend in a mile and a half handicap worth over £50,000 to the winner. It was only his fourth start, but with the introduction of both cheekpieces and Wales’s top flat jockey he bolted up by three lengths.
Then, in a five-furlong handicap Probert had his first ride on the Rod Millman-trained Woolhampton. This wasn’t as easy as The Reverend, for the mare was slowly away and a gap in front of her closed just as she was starting to make her finishing effort a furlong out. Fortunately it opened in time for her to get through and win by a neck.
This Thursday sees the penultimate flat fixture of the year at Ffos Las.
