It was a great day for Welsh jockeys at the weekend with Sean Bowen and Lorcan Williams (photographed) amassing five winners between them on Saturday.
Bowen’s retainer to ride the Grand National Noble Yeats is proving very fruitful. They won for the second time in Aintree’s Grade 2 Many Clouds Chase. An evenly-matched six-runner contest was still up for grabs two out but when Bowen pulled his mount to the outside he produced a stunning turn of speed to shoot into the lead in a matter of strides. That a National winner could have so much speed astonished most observers.
Afterwards Bowen said Noble Yeats races lazily, but would wing a fence and go back on the bridle. He added that the horse’s former jockey Sam Waley-Cohen told him, “if he’s covered up, when you pull him out he’ll really go,” and he certainly did.
“We didn’t expect that,” Waley-Cohen added, and connections now have the pleasant conundrum of whether to aim for the Cheltenham Gold Cup rather than the Grand National. The King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day is also an option, although that may come soon enough.
Golden Miller is the only National winner who won a Gold Cup subsequently, back in the 1930s. Bowen therefore has the prospect of achieving a very rare feat. Earlier that afternoon he had won a novice hurdle on Olly Murphy’s Strong Leader, who defied a penalty easily despite not being the most fluent jumper. Bowen has now ridden 78 winners this season, 14 of them for Murphy. If he remains injury free, his previous personal best season’s total of 94 should be exceeded. There was a sting in the tail for him on Saturday, though, picking up a four-day ban for misuse of the whip in the closing stages on Noble Yeats.
Meanwhile at Chepstow Lorcan Williams was riding a treble for Paul Nicholls. When the champion trainer sends runners all round the country on Saturdays, Harry Cobden gets to ride at the main meeting but Williams is getting opportunities to shine elsewhere. This time his three winners were all on young, inexperienced horses. First was Makin’yourmindup in a 3m novice hurdle. Unafraid to make the running having won here over a half a mile less, he kept on strongly to win by five lengths.
Knowsley Road was odds on for the 2m4f novices hurdle and he also set out to make all. His only serious opponent in the last half mile threatened briefly but Williams’ horse was the better jumper over the last two flights.
Finally, Williams had to niggle along the 6/5 favourite Marvellous Mick at various stages of the bumper and his odds in running drifted to 5/1. Horse and rider persisted, and he took the lead 300 yards out. He ran green but galloped on powerfully and will have learned a lot from this experience.
The Welsh National Trial went to Venetia Williams’ Farinet. The grey made all the running off ten stone to score by eight lengths, eased down. He won’t be emulating the last two winners of the Trial by taking the Welsh National as well, for he wasn’t entered. He will stick to races over three miles.
Sean Bowen was at Kelso on Sunday for one ride on a 16/1 shot, Clonguile Way, in the Scottish Borders National over four miles. County Meath trainer John McConnell has
supplied Bowen with plenty of winners when sending his horses across the Irish Sea and this one ran well to finish second of the 13 runners.
The mares’ bumper at Huntingdon went to Lilting Verse, ridden by Connor Brace. She gamely held off the favourite Alfie’s Princess, trained by Sam Thomas for owner Dai Walters. Other Welsh owners, the Potter Group, had the third to finish, Strong Belle. All three of them should go on to better things.
Our final fixture of 2022 is the Christmas Party Race Day on Thursday 15th December. We have a great value ‘Day At The Races’ package available for just £22 which includes admission, a drink, a pie and a race day programme. This is for advance bookings only.
