'I've fulfilled a childhood dream' - Bowen

Sean Bowen is the first Welsh winner since Fred Winter in 1958

75,000 miles. 902 rides. 180 wins. Champion Jockey.

Sean Bowen has fulfilled his childhood dream.

After hitting 1,000 wins in February, the 27-year-old had already set his next goal - to become champion.

"It was obviously very exciting to hit the 1,000 wins. I'm very lucky. A lot of people don't get to hit the 1,000 winners in their career, so to get there was amazing," he said.

"For the last two or three years now this has been the goal. I really wanted it last year, and it didn't happen, this year has gone amazingly well and thankfully we got there.

"I've fulfilled a childhood dream. When I was racing the ponies up the gallops with my brothers I was pretending to be Sir AP McCoy, Brian Hughes or Richard Johnson - legends of the game."

Bowen missed out on last year's title after suffering a knee injury on Boxing Day when leading the Championship.

"I wasn't going to let it happen twice, I couldn't let the Championship slip again," he said.

"It was just a matter of starting this season off as fast as we possibly could and I managed to build up a good lead in the summer. Harry Skelton was fighting through Christmas but I built that lead back up again.

"The travelling is crazy. My car will have clocked up 75,000 miles in the season. I very rarely get to go home much so, it's difficult, but it is all well worth it when you're crowned Champion Jockey.

"It's hard work mentally and physically, I've kept the body in good shape this season. Mentally, it can be hard work, never having a day off, and just keeping going every day.

"I can't stand seeing somebody else win on a horse that I should have been on, that's why I'll travel up and down the country in one day for a ride if I have to."

Family support

Sean's parents, Peter and Karen Bowen, have been training racehorses since he was a child.

"Mum and dad from day one have given me wonderful support," he explained.

"You see how hard they work. They live down in Pembrokeshire, and they would drive all the way to Ayr or Perth just for us to win a pony race.

"So if you see that, if you see them doing that for you, then I suppose that's probably what's given us the drive in us to want to do more, and don't mind getting in the car and driving wherever you need to go.

"My partner Harriet puts up with a lot, because I see her very rarely. We're getting married in July and then we have our honeymoon. We're really looking forward to that break together."

The perfect final week

Haiti Couleurs was the 6-1 favourite in the Irish Grand National

The Welshman has finished the season in fine style, starting with a five-timer at his home track, Ffos Las.

"It was actually my first ever five-timer. I've managed a few four-timers, but never a five-timer. It was a magic day - it was in front of family and the Welsh crowd who were brilliant, that was a day I'll never forget," he added.

The Welshman followed up that success with an Irish Grand National victory aboard the Rebecca Curtis-trained Haiti Couleurs.

"It's the biggest win of my career, to go over there and beat the Irish was obviously brilliant, and to do it for Rebecca, who's a Welsh trainer, was so good, it was an incredible day," said Bowen.

And to cap it off, he was victorious aboard Resplendent Grey - trained by Olly Murphy - in the Bet 365 Gold Cup at Sandown on Saturday.