Sean D Bowen is Tipperary's latest sporting champion

Clonmel was celebrating at Carrick Racecourse in North Yorkshire last weekend, as the town hailed its latest sporting champion when Sean D Bowen was crowned the British Champion Apprentice Flat Jockey for 2024.

Sean, from Coleville Road, Clonmel, is the son of Ian Bowen and Elizabeth Bowen (née Nallen, Hotel Minella).

He beat Joe Leavy by two victories to claim the title, having ridden 44 winners in the course of a closely-contested battle.

Sean made remarkable progress throughout the season, having moved to ride for British trainer James Owens last May. He never looked back after winning an apprentice race at Doncaster last March, only his second ride after he made the move to Britain.

The 19-year-old cut his teeth on the Irish pony racing circuit, riding ten winners, and earned his first victory on the racecourse proper on December 1 2021.

He accumulated an amount of experience on the all-weather track at Dundalk, riding 29 winners.

His biggest victory came in the recent Cesarewitch on the Simon and Ed Crisford-trained Manxman but his success wasn’t confirmed until three days later, when the Whip Review Committee confirmed that Alphonse Le Grande, which finished first past the post by a nose in a close finish to the race at Newmarket, was disqualified, after his rider Jamie Powell had breached the whip rules.

Confirmation of the win came when he was en route to racing in Leicester.

“There was great excitement on Tuesday when I was driving to Leicester, I got a phone call to say the result did get overturned,” he told Racing TV.

“I’ve probably never been as happy as I was going racing after hearing that news! It’s probably one of the biggest handicaps in England that everyone wants to win”.

He was three wins clear of Sean Leavy by last Thursday, and the pair each won a race at Haydock Park on Friday, when Sean was supported by three rides from his uncle John Nallen, Minella Racing.

Leavy won the second race at Catterick on Saturday to bring him to within two of Bowen but both jockeys were out of luck in a handicap later in the day, sealing the title for the Clonmel man.

Trainer James Owens told TDN Europe, “Sean is a real team player with a great head on his shoulders, very well mannered, and an extremely natural horseman. He has been incredibly committed this season and has a very bright future ahead of him. Myself and the team couldn’t be happier and more proud of him”.

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