Sean Bowen has run away with the jockeys’ championship in 2025/26. The 28-year-old will receive his title on Saturday at Sandown having easily secured the honour for the second straight season.
As of the penultimate day of the season on Friday 24 April, Bowen has ridden a staggering 240 winners. Harry Skelton is a distant second on 125, with 2024 Champion Jockey Harry Cobden having only reached a century of winners at Perth on Wednesday. Bowen’s hunger for winners up and down the country is unmatched at levels not seen since AP McCoy retired.
McCoy partnered his final mounts at Sandown’s jumps finale in 2015. While Bowen will be crowned again at that meeting, his hunger for records could make for an interesting storyline.
McCoy rode a record 289 winners in a season in 2001/02. That remains a record by some margin. However, on what will be the 25th anniversary of that feat next season, Bowen is seeking to go one better.
“The calendar as a whole is not right” – Bowen
Bowen’s first challenge will be to overcome the summer months. Jumps racing is at a premium between May and September. That could leave him too much work to do once the campaign begins in earnest. The two-time champion elect did not mince his words when asked what the schedule may do to his chances.
“The racing calendar is fairly stupid, if I’m being honest,” he said to the Sporting Life. “I’ll have two days off and then I’m off to Punchestown. There’s only two days put together twice all summer until our August break.
“I think the calendar as a whole is not right. It doesn’t really work, and two days put together twice all summer is crazy, really.”
For next season, the target is simple: beat McCoy’s record. It is something on Bowen’s mind already and the hard work begins shortly.
“I can’t wait to get back to zero, to be honest, and start all over again. And we’ll obviously try and do what we did this season, if not a little bit more.
“I’ll pass a thousand rides this week, so that takes a lot of work in itself, and the miles on the road are a lot. It’s hard work but you have to if you want to be champion jockey, and all I dreamt of as a kid was to be champion jockey. Now I’m in the position I am in, I don’t want to give it up too easily.
“Obviously, AP’s records are incredible, and that isn’t going to be easy to do. I think we counted 290-odd days in a season, so I’ll have to get a scoot on at the start and hopefully the balls bounce my way then.
“I don’t think it’s something that’s impossible to do. It’ll obviously take a lot of hard work, but if it’s something that I can do, I’ll definitely be trying.”