We are delighted to welcome Top Jumps Jockey Sean Bowen onto GG with his very own blog! We have sponsored Sean for a while now, and we’re extremely excited to unleash his blog on site to give you an insight into the weighing room, the latest on his big weekend rides and opinion on all the big races! Follow Sean’s blog each week for his thoughts exclusively.
About Sean
At 25 years old Sean has now established himself as one of the top riders in UK Jumps racing. He was Champion Conditional Jockey in 2015 and has gone from strength-to-strength ever since. He won his first Grade 1 with on If The Cap Fits in 2019 in the Liverpool Hurdle, and his latest one was on Metier in the Tolworth Hurdle last season. Sean currently sits second on the Jump Jockey Championship.
AINTREE A SPECIAL COURSE
I’ve got hugely fond memories of riding at Aintree, including riding my first Grade 1 winner there on board If The Cap Fits in the Liverpool Hurdle back in 2019. Mum and Dad have also been very successful there, winning the Topham Chase five times. So with both Mum and Dad doing well here, and riding my first Grade 1 winner here, it just makes it an extra special place for me to ride.
WHAT IS AINTREE IS LIKE TO RIDE?
I find Aintree to be a very fair track, it’s a flat course and open, with big regulation fences. You have to really jump around there even over the normal fences. It’s not like Cheltenham, which is just up and down and there isn’t much room to manoeuvre. You always have plenty of room at Aintree, so you tend to find the best horses will win as its very fair.
My rides on Saturday 3rd December
STRONG LEADER (11.45 AINTREE)
He put in a good performance at Uttoxeter last time out, despite not jumping that well. He’s under a penalty here though so it does make things a lot harder, but I think if he brushes up on his jumping he’s in with a good chance. He’s a very big horse and jumping didn’t come naturally to him, but he’s got a lot better in his schooling at home and I’m sure he’ll get better with each race as well.
OLD VICTORIA (12.55)
I don’t know much about this horse, but he won over hurdles in France before being brought over to Gordon Elliott’s yard. She disappointed on her first run in Ireland, but I’ll discuss her with Gordon on Saturday morning and hopefully he can tell me a bit more about her.
NOBLE YEATS
I’m lucky enough to be riding this year’s Grand National winner Noble Yeats here. He was nice and straightforward at Wexford, making all the running and jumping well before staying on strongly. He’s an exciting horse to get the ride on, and I’m hopeful he can run a nice race.
MINELLA BOBO
Over the National fences I’m riding Minella Bobo, who is a bit of an outsider here but you can ride most horses around here and they have a chance. If they jump well and take to the fences then they have a chance, so he’s not out of it. He badly needed his first two runs this season, but I’m hoping he can come on for those runs. He jumps well and I’ve won on him twice previously, and he’s not badly handicapped here, so if he takes to the fences he could finish in the places.
NATIONAL FENCES
I enjoy riding over the Grand National fences. I’ve had three winners over the fences so it’s been a great track for me! It’s a unique experience, where horses either love it or hate it, so I’m hoping Minella Bobo enjoys them on Saturday.
GUNSIGHT RIDGE
I like Gunsight Ridge a lot. It was a good performance at Aintree, where he travelled and jumped really well, before making a bad mistake four out. Most horses that would’ve knocked them, but he nearly broke the fence and then came straight back on the bridle! A lot of Olly’s horses have improved for their first run and he went and won on his first start, so I’m hoping there’s a bit more improvement in him. He hasn’t been put much and I think he’ll stay the extra distance here. He goes on proper soft ground but if it stays good to soft he’ll be fine. He’s the one I’m most looking forward to riding on Saturday.
HARDY DU MESNIL
He’s a horse that Olly Murphy is a big fan of. He doesn’t have much experience for a handicap like this, but I think he will end up being well handicapped. Whether that’s here on Saturday or not I’m not sure, but he comes here with a chance. The only worry is he doesn’t have as much experience as a lot of these in here.
TINGLE CREEK
If I had the choice, it’s almost impossible to choose anything other than Shishkin. But at the same time I loved the way Greaneteen won at Exeter, and Paul Nicholls said afterwards he’s improved this season. So it should be an exciting race between those two and you can’t rule out Edwardstone either! His novice season was exceptional, and it looked like it would be an easy transition to the top class races for him, but they’ve got to go and prove that. It’s definitely the race of the weekend for me.
ONE HORSE I’M EXCITED ABOUT
That’s a tough question! I know he won last time out, but No Risk Des Flos won easier than it looked at Wetherby, and although he’s gone up 7lbs I expect him to be competitive again off his revised mark next time out. His jumping for a novice has been excellent and I’m looking forward to riding him again.
RIDING FOR GORDON ELLIOTT
I’ve been fortunate enough to pick up plenty of runners for Gordon Elliott recently, and he’s a great man to work for. He’s uncomplicated to work for and his horses are straightforward to ride, which makes my job a lot easier! I’ve ridden 23 winners for him so far this season, which is a huge help to my tally. I’m really grateful to him for giving me the opportunity to ride for him in a lot of races up north over the summer, and hopefully I can continue riding for him in the future.
TARGETS FOR THE SEASON
It’s exciting to already have 75 wins on the board this season, where the relationship with Gordon Elliott has been a huge help. I’d love to win the jump jockeys championship, but Brian Hughes is relentless in his bid to win it for a third year! It is something I would love to do though and I’ll keep trying. My main target for this season is to beat my record last season, which was 93 winners, and I’ve never broken the 100 winner mark before so that would be the next target.