‘I’ve fulfilled a childhood dream’ – Bowen

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

Sean Bowen’s childhood dream came true.

The 27-year-old had already set his next goal, which was to become champion, after racking up 1, 000 victories in February.

“It was undoubtedly very exciting to achieve the 1,000 wins. I have a great chance. He said that it was amazing that many people didn’t reach the 1, 000 career winners.

This has been the goal for the past two or three years. Although it wasn’t what I wanted it to last year, this year has turned out fantastically well and we are so glad we got there.

Bowen, who had a knee injury while leading the championship on Boxing Day, was unable to win the previous year’s title.

He said, “I couldn’t let the Championship slip again, I wasn’t going to let it happen.”

I was just able to launch this season as quickly as we could, and I managed to build up a strong lead over the summer. I rebuilt the lead that Harry Skelton had been fighting for all through Christmas.

“The traveling is crazy,” he declared. My car will have logged 75, 000 miles this year. It’s challenging, but it’s all worth it when you’re crowned Champion Jockey because I very rarely get to return home.

I’ve kept my body in good shape this season despite the effort, both mentally and physically. It can be difficult to do mentally, having no days off, or just continuing to work.

Since Sean was a child, Peter and Karen Bowen have been training racehorses.

He explained that his parents have been wonderful support to me from day one.

You can tell how diligently they work. They would drive all the way to Ayr or Perth just to win a pony race, and they live there.

So, I suppose that’s what gave us the drive to do more and that we’re happy to drive wherever we need to go if we see that, if we see them doing that for us,

The Welshman finished the season well with a five-time victory at Ffos Las, his hometown track.

“It was actually my first five-timer,” he said. I’ve managed a few four-timers, but never a five-timer. That was a magical day, he continued, “It was a day I’ll never forget because it was in front of my family and the Welsh crowd who were brilliant.”

The Welshman’s victory aboard the Haiti Couleurs, which Rebecca Curtis trained, followed that success with an Irish Grand National triumph.

“To go over there and defeat the Irish was obviously brilliant, and to do it for Rebecca, who is a Welsh trainer, was so good, it was an incredible day,” said Bowen.