Bowen aims to top 100 wins at first Welsh Racing Festival

Welsh jockey Sean Bowen has ridden 100 winners before the season's halfway stage

When the tapes rise at Chepstow this Friday for the opening day of the inaugural Welsh Racing Festival, few families will feel the pride and anticipation more keenly than the Bowens.

Three days of jump racing from 10-12 October - culminating in Sunday's Welsh Champion Hurdle - will mark horse racing's biggest weekend of the year in Wales.

Fittingly, the spotlight will shine on a Welsh family dynasty enjoying an incredible season.

At the top of the Jump Jockeys' Championship, defending champion Sean Bowen continues to set the pace with 100 winners - bringing up the century for the season on board Dominic's Fault at Lingfield on Monday - while younger brother James sits second on 43.

Meanwhile, older brother Mickey, who took over the family's training licence from their father Peter last season, has surged into the lead in the Trainers' Championship, with 40 winners and more than £388,000 in prize money.

It is a family dominance rarely seen in modern sport - three men, from one small corner of Pembrokeshire, rewriting the Welsh racing story.

For Peter Bowen, who officially retired last season after training more than 1,000 winners, watching his sons flourish has been both surreal and deeply satisfying.

"For my family, this year has been more than I could have dreamed about," he says.

"It is so great that they are currently one and two. Hopefully it will stay that way for the rest of the season. And the start Mickey has had to his training career, well... you couldn't write it, could you?"

Bowen Sr, who handed the reins of his long-running yard in Little Newcastle near Haverfordwest to Mickey, says he always knew his eldest son would take naturally to training.

"I always felt Mickey had the talent. He's always been keen and he's always followed me around, since he was about three years old," he says.

"Somebody asked me if he's done his apprenticeship and I replied that he'd already done about 30 years of it!

"From the time he was a kid, you could tell he was the one who was going to be a trainer, because he was so into it even as a kid."

Mickey's own riding career was cut short at 16 after a serious fall and medical advice to give up the saddle.

That setback only accelerated his move into training, a shift that now looks inspired.

"It's just pleasing for me as a father that all three are in the jobs they have and they are all loving it," Bowen Sr says.

"When I look at how successful the whole family now are, I have to pinch myself every morning. I also realise how lucky we are to be doing what we love."

If Mickey is the rising star of the training ranks, then Sean is already the headline act.

At 26, he has secured a century of winners before the season's halfway point, and his strength, balance and race-craft have drawn high praise across the sport.

Sean Bowen 'the best ever seen'

Trainer Peter Scudamore - a seven-time champion jockey and one of the most respected voices in National Hunt racing - believes Sean's talent is exceptional.

"I was talking to Peter Scudamore the other day," says Peter Bowen.

"He said he had watched jockeys all his life and he told me he thinks Sean is the best he has ever seen.

"To come from someone like Peter Scudamore, that is a hell of an accolade."

Peter believes both Sean and James possess a rare ability to "win races they really should not be winning", describing that as the mark of a true champion.

"They are also totally dedicated to what they do and spend a lot of time in the gym and running to be super-fit," he adds.

"All three of them have managed to stay really good friends and they must speak to each other about four times a day."

This weekend's Welsh Racing Festival will showcase not only the Bowens' brilliance but also the growing ambition of the sport across Wales.

Sean Bowen, preparing for several key rides at Chepstow, says the event represents a major step forward for the country's racing profile.

"We need to promote Welsh racing all we can, because we've got some brilliant trainers and brilliant jockeys and obviously some big owners now as well," he says.

"So, I think Welsh racing is thriving at the minute. Obviously, our biggest race at the moment is the Welsh Grand National.

"But this big festival meeting at Chepstow, where all the stars will start their season, is quite exciting.

"I know Chepstow have done a good job with promoting it all. A few owners are telling me about the good deals they've done with hotels and buses and different things, so they're making a good go of it and fair play to Chepstow Racecourse for that."

For Sean, Chepstow's location is ideal - close enough to attract the top stables from England, while giving Welsh racing a central stage.

"Even though Chepstow is in Wales, it is quite close to a lot of the jumps trainers over the border, so it's not far for them to go," he says.

"A three-day festival is brilliant. A lot of people will enjoy staying over and will have a good time over the three days, so it's really exciting."

As Welsh racing's flagship festival prepares to open, a family rooted in Pembrokeshire soil are reaching for the top of British jump racing.