After a fierce battle throughout the season, Sean Dylan Bowen edged Joe Leavy by two victories to be named the British Champion Apprentice Flat Jockey for 2024 at Catterick Racecourse, Great British Racing announced on Saturday.
Bowen rode 44 winners (13%) for the year, while Leavy was second on 42 and Kaiya Fraser made up third at 34. The wins were accumulated inside a set period of May 4- Oct. 19.
The Irishman won an apprentice race at Doncaster in March, only his second ride since relocating to Britain, and the momentum built from there. Earlier in the week Bowen was three wins clear of Leavy by Thursday, but the pair each won a race at Haydock Park on Friday. Leavy won the second race at Catterick on Saturday to bring him within two to tie Bowen, but both jockeys were out of luck in a handicap later in the day, sealing the title for Bowen.
The 18-year-old, who rides for boss trainer James Owens, said, “The main reason I came over [to Britain] was there's more racing here than in Ireland, and my ambition was just to pick up as many rides as I could and hopefully have some winners along the way. It's definitely been a help having the experience of coming over [to Britain] for the odd ride last season.”
Owens said, “Sean is a real team player with a great head on his shoulders, very well mannered, and an extremely natural horseman. He has been incredibly committed this season and has a very bright future ahead of him. Myself and the team couldn't be happier and more proud of him.”
Oisin Murphy formally regained the British Champion Flat Jockey title on Saturday with 163 winners. Murphy was winning it for the fourth time, having prevailed in 2019, 2020, and 2021.
Murphy said, “This is something I really tried to achieve this year. I have had great support from so many trainers and owners, and having a fair lead has meant I have been able to enjoy it over the last month or so.
“It has taken a lot of hard work from my agent [Gavin Horne]. With the one meeting a day rule, it is paramount that he chooses the correct meeting to send me to, which is not easy when there are three or four meetings. I think he has done a great job, and that has been key to me riding so many winners.
“It is high pressure, especially when you are going racing everyday with chances, which I am lucky enough to be doing. It can be frustrating if you are not winning, but thankfully I had a good Royal Ascot, Glorious Goodwood and York.
“The British weighing room is full of stars. It is one of the most, if not the most, competitive weighing rooms in the world. There are so many Group 1-winning jockeys in there and many of them are young and ambitious.”
Dale Gibson, racing director for the PJA, said, “Congratulations to Sean on winning the coveted champion apprentice title. Bowen follows in the footsteps of outstanding champion jockeys such as the late Lester Piggott and Pat Eddery, alongside the current stars such as Frankie Dettori, Ryan Moore, Will Buick and Oisin Murphy. Sean has been a model of consistency all year and fought out a terrific battle with Joe until the final day of the apprentice championship. We wish Sean and all his apprentice colleagues continued success in future.”
Trainer Aidan O'Brien wrapped up his seventh British Flat Trainers' Championship, his first such award since 2017. Although the season runs from Jan. 1-Dec. 31, the master of Ballydoyle holds a commanding lead by over £3 million from his nearest pursuer. Some of the leading lights for the Coolmore partners this season are G1 Derby/G1 Eclipse/G1 International Stakes hero City Of Troy (Justify), while Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) landed the G1 Gold Cup and G1 Goodwood Cup. There was also an O'Brien one-two in the G1 St Leger won by Jan Brueghel (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), and Lake Victoria (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) scored in the G1 Cheveley Park Stakes.
O'Brien said, “It is a big team effort from everyone in Ballydoyle and Coolmore. There are so many special people in so many different areas that if I started talking about them, I would be here until tomorrow. You can have the horses and the place but, if you don't have the people, it won't happen.
“The owners are the people who put the resources in every year, to try and help us make it better. They put a lot of time in and give us advice. We do our best, give information back, and try to follow the roadmap that they draw for us. Some years it goes very well, some years it is ordinary, and some years it is medium.
“This was a good year for us. We won plenty of good races. I am just delighted for everybody when we do have a good year. We don't take anything for granted and try to look to the future.”
Perennial leading owner Godolphin was named British Champion Owner for the 16th time with runners bearing the royal blue earning over £4 million in prize-money. Notable Speech (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) won the G1 2000 Guineas and the G1 Sussex Stakes, while juveniles Shadow Of Light (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) and Desert Flower (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) also scored at the highest level.
Hugh Anderson, managing director of Godolphin (UK and Dubai), said, “Everyone at Godolphin is immensely proud to receive the UK Champion Owner trophy for a 16th time.
“It has proved to be another exceptional season, led by our brilliant 2000 Guineas and Sussex Stakes winner Notable Speech. It's also particularly exciting to see the next generation coming through, with Shadow Of Light and Desert Flower establishing themselves as the best 2-year-olds in the country. With several of our senior stars set to remain in training, we can look forward to 2025 with great anticipation.
“All of our trainers have done a superb job once again, while it has been extremely rewarding to see our homebreds and stallions perform so well. Thank you to every single Godolphin employee, who have all played their part in this success. Our greatest thanks must go to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed, whose endless passion for the sport continues to prove an inspiration for us all.”
As previously announced, Jack Berry MBE, Dubai Millennium (GB) (Seeking The Gold) and Goldikova (Ire) (Anabaa) were formally inducted into the QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame. Berry and connections of the two horses were presented with medals at Ascot on Saturday.
Rod Street, CEO of Great British Racing and British Champions Series, said, “What a joyous day in the sunshine we have enjoyed this afternoon at Ascot. Just over 29,000 racegoers attended the racing today, a figure not far off that of last year when Frankie retired from riding in the UK.
“With over 6,000 18-26-year-olds coming racing to enjoy a day out at a discounted price to encourage a new audience to come racing, to seeing families with young kids enjoying meeting Side Glance, Ascot's Equine Ambassador, and engaging with the kids' activities, it was a wonderful afternoon.
“The record number of declarations we saw on Thursday came to fruition on the track today when we witnessed fantastic racing, with Charyn (Ire) so dominant in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and Anmaat (Ire) the 40-1 winner of the QIPCO Champion Stakes.
“We shall look forward to welcoming everyone back to Ascot next year for what has established itself a such a great finale to the Flat season.”
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