'He was always going to win' - home favourite Sean Bowen stars on launch of new Welsh Racing Festival

Wales's champion jockey Sean Bowen lit up his country's new racing festival as he captured the Dragonbet Persian War Novices' Hurdle on Sticktotheplan.

Friday's fixture marks the start of the core jumps season, but Bowen hit a century of winners prior to the Dragonbet Welsh Racing Festival. Those predicting this campaign could be a potentially special one for Bowen were boosted by him riding his first major winner of the campaign in the Grade 2.

Much of the pre-race attention was about a runner about to be sold, 5-4 favourite Queensbury Boy, but it was a recent private purchase that triumphed.

Sticktotheplan was bought for Midlands-based owners Not One But Two and moved to Olly Murphy after winning a Listed novice hurdle at the Galway festival for Cormac Farrell. He showed further improvement when defying a 5lb penalty for his Listed success.

Bowen said: "I really enjoyed that. I didn't realise how many people were here until that winner. It's been a brilliant festival and hopefully it'll continue to grow. It's my second win in the race, but it's great to have a first big winner of the season."

Sticktotheplan was made 66-1 for the Turners Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival by Sky Bet after his third success over hurdles. 

"He's a lovely horse," Bowen added. "We put the hood on because he's been a bit keen in his work but he switched off, jumped great and was always going to win."

Bowen's brother James's Persian War mount Kainsbourg finished second and his day got even more frustrating when Art Of Diplomacy fell at the last when leading in the 2m7½f novice chase.

Coco Mademoiselle capitalised to secure her fourth win over fences, but James Bowen was compensated when Got A Dream landed the 2m3½f handicap hurdle.

Masked Man gets Cheltenham quotes

JJ Slevin missed his two rides due to kidney stones but has a fine prospect to look forward to for the rest of the season in Masked Man, who made a successful rules debut in the second division of the 2m novice hurdle.

He scooted clear by 12 lengths for the combination behind Bristol De Mai, who also started his domestic career at Chepstow, being trained by Nigel and Willy Twiston-Davies for Simon Munir and Isaac Souede.

Willy Twiston-Davies said: "He's shown a very high level of ability in his point-to-point and he's done nothing but please us since we've got him. He seems straightforward and we think he's very nice.

"He'll definitely get two and a half miles, but he's shown a very good turn of foot. I'm not sure where we'll go now, whether we'll just want another novice and then look at something else."

Golden oldies

Hang In There landed a 13th career win on his first start in veterans' company in the 2m7½f handicap chase for Emma Lavelle and Gavin Sheehan. 

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