North Pembrokeshire teenage jockey James Bowen is being toasted as a future champion after winning the Coral Welsh Grand National at Chepstow on Saturday.
In his first full season the 16-year-old son of successful trainer Peter Bowen and his wife Karen who train at Yet-Y-Rhug, Letterston, the former point-to-point rider is setting the scene alight in National Hunt racing and on Saturday was at his brilliant best in the three miles five furlongs race as he brought home 13-year-old Raz De Maree at odds of 16/1.
The younger brother of established jockey Sean Bowen, who is attached to the Paul Nicholls stable in Somerset, James is a conditional jockey with champion trainer Nicky Henderson and the youngest rider to win the race since the war – the horse, which is only three years older than his jockey, is the oldest to win it.
Raz De Maree is trained in Ireland by Gavin Cromwell who was full of praise for the talented jockey who held up the gelding towards the rear and although slightly hampered midway through, led two fences out, made a mistake at the last but under the young Bowen drive stayed on to draw clear on the flat.
Cromwell said: "James gave the horse a super ride and it is great for all the connections."
And James Bowen said: "To win the race in my first full season is amazing."
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