New start for Bowen family as father Peter hands over training licence after 30-year career

The Front Runner, Chris Cook's popular daily email, was recently named the specialist/regional newsletter of the year at the Press Gazette's Future of Media Awards. Written principally by our award-winning senior reporter since its launch in 2021, it has become a beloved part of our Racing Post+ package.

Here you can read a free sample of the award-winning newsletter, normally available exclusively for Racing Post+ subscribers.

Subscribers can get more great insight, tips and racing chat from The Front Runner every Monday to Friday. Those who aren't yet signed up for The Front Runner should click here to sign up and start receiving emails immediately!

Not a Racing Post+ subscriber? Click here to join today and also receive our Ultimate Daily emails plus our full range of fantastic website and newspaper content.

Peter Bowen is no longer a licensed trainer. His surname is very much in evidence, for anyone scanning today's three jumps cards in Britain, but the man who got the family business going is taking a step back. 

In common with all other well-known trainers in this situation, Bowen wants us to understand that he is not actually retiring, despite having thoroughly earned some down-time and being 66 years old. "Nothing will change," he assures the Front Runner. "Everything will be the same." 

Practically begging him to agree, I suggest that perhaps he'll be taking the odd week off through the summer. "No, I shouldn't think so," is the response. "I've just come back from Punchestown, so we've had a few days off." That's what they call a busman's holiday. 

Bowen is allowing his son Mickey to have the licence to himself from now on, the pair having shared it over the last season. "Mickey deserves the glory now," he told us a couple of weeks ago, "because the other two boys have had a lot of glory and the reason I'm taking a step back is because I want him to have the same. 

Peter Bowen: "Mickey deserves the glory now"Credit: David Dew

"He missed out on the riding, so hopefully he'll be successful training. He lives for the horses and his aim is to train 100 horses." 

The other two boys he mentions are, of course, Sean and James. Sean is our new champion jockey, while James is also having an excellent career in the saddle. Both rode winners at Punchestown. 

"I think one is as good as the other," says their proud father. "They spend a lot of time talking to each other about every race. They've always got on great and they've come to ride very similar." 

Mikey Bowen: has taken over the training licence from his father PeterCredit: Carl Evans

It's 30 years since Bowen Sr took out a licence, hoping to build on his success in point-to-points. Almost from the word go, he was a great man to follow through the summer months, with a knack for finding chasers quick enough to win when the ground dried up. 

Stately Home was an early success story. He was getting beat in selling hurdles in his early days with the yard, despite help in the saddle from those promising young claimers Richard Johnson and Robert Thornton, but Bowen had the horse straightened out by July 1996 and he then won eight times before Christmas. 

The next year, Stately Home became the first of eight Bowen-trained winners in the Summer Plate at Market Rasen. He was also the yard's first Grade 1 winner, in the Scilly Isles. 

Souffleur won a Challow, while good old Snoopy Loopy swooped to conquer in the Betfair Chase of 2008 when Kauto Star unseated at the last. An even bigger prize could have fallen Bowen's way if Kicking King had not been brought back into the Gold Cup picture at a late stage in 2005, because the eventual runner-up, despite odds of 25-1, was the Welsh trainer's Take The Stand. 

Snoopy Loopy (blue and white silks): Grade 1-winning chaser for Peter BowenCredit: MARK CRANHAM

Take The Stand was also second in the Aintree Bowl, the Old Roan and the Rowland Meyrick. He was a nearly horse but he still enjoyed plenty of success, winning 16 times, including in the Summer National. 

None of this is what comes up when I ask Bowen about his proudest achievement. "Winning five Tophams, I suppose," is his answer, in reference to the 2m5f race over the National fences one day before the biggest race of all. He shares the trainer's record in the race with Nicky Henderson. 

Dunbrody Millar started the ball rolling for him in 2007, in a race where it paid to be handy. He jumped The Chair in second place, while the third horse fell and brought down four others. 

Then came Always Waining, who won it three years in a row, as fine an example of target training as you could hope to see. In 2022, Mac Tottie delivered Topham number five for the yard, with stablemate Francky Du Berlais in fourth. 

Mac Tottie (right): winner of the 2022 Topham Chase under Sean BowenCredit: John Grossick

What was it about the Topham that worked so well for Bowen? "Aintree's always been lucky for us," he says. "For some reason, our horses are always good at that time of year." 

He also came close to Grand National glory with McKelvey, whose strong finish in 2007 carried him to within a length of Silver Birch at the line, even though he was found to be lame shortly after. Bowen points out that, from a rating of 136, McKelvey wouldn't make the cut for the National as it now exists. 

Good luck to Mickey Bowen today, as he sends out the first runners in his sole name. Kate Madrik will be the first at Fakenham and there will be others at Ffos Las and Worcester over the following six hours.

Bowen Sr will be on duty at Worcester, a three-hour drive from their Little Newcastle base, close to the Welsh coast. "No peace for the wicked," he says.

Three things to look out for today

1. A mile race at Chantilly (2.40) has been marked as the retrieval mission for Qarlyga, who disgraced herself when last in the Nell Gwyn. An early bump seemed to set her alight that day and she pulled hard until running out of puff with two furlongs to race. This Listed contest is strictly speaking a step down in class but there's a lot of unexposed potential ranged against her, including the well-related American Gal.

Qarlyga14:40 Chantilly

View Racecard

Jky: Cristian Demuro Tnr: Roger Varian

2. Speaking of tearaways, La Quarite remains a maiden after a dozen starts, at least partly because of a tendency to over-race in front. But the five-year-old would have possibilities if his behaviour improved, so it's interesting to see that he's moved from Chris Grant to Mickey Bowen, with the consequence that our new champ Sean Bowen gets to ride him today at Ffos Las (3.30). Also, it's a switch to chasing, which will hopefully give La Quarite something to think about rather than just bombing off in front. 

La Quarite15:30 Ffos Las

View Racecard

Jky: Sean Bowen Tnr: Mickey Bowen

3. We haven't seen Tommie Beau, the Front Runner's Official Favourite Horse, for some months but here he is in a 3m handicap chase (4.15) at Fakenham just one day after getting a mention in Monday's column, almost as if we summoned him back to action. He had a fruitless winter, taking on highly-rated rivals in conditions races on soft ground, but a veterans' chase on good going should be much more suitable. Connections have decided to claim off him with Ellis Collier, who has a 2/7 record for trainer Seamus Mullins. 

Tommie Beau16:15 Fakenham

View Racecard

Jky: Ellis Collier (5lb)Tnr: Seamus Mullins

Read these next:

Frankie Dettori, Ryan Moore and William Buick among 12 riding stars signed up to new $15m global racing league 

'It's not a good thing for us' - Aidan O'Brien raises potential problem with decision to finalise Derby field a day earlier 

British trainers urged to get travelling after equalling Cheltenham Festival winners tally at Punchestown 

The Front Runner is our unmissable email newsletter available exclusively to Racing Post+ subscribers. Chris Cook provides his take on the day's biggest stories and tips for the upcoming racing every morning from Monday to Friday. Not a Racing Post+ subscriber? Join today