BOWMAN BOUNCES BACK IN THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY

By Graham Potter | Sunday, February 4, 2024

Hugh Bowman has bounced back a tough week to secure victory aboard the John Size trained Helios Express in the HK$13 million Hong Kong Classic Mile at Sha Tin on Sunday.

It hasn’t been the best of times for Bowman recently.

Not only did Bowman suffer the discomfort of a race-fall at Sha Tin on January 28 ... but he was subsequently found guilty of causing the incident for which he was received his second suspension in as many weeks.

Bowman was dislodged from the David Hayes trained One Heart One with the stewards finding that Bowman “permitted his mount to shift out when positioned too close to the heels of Charmander, resulting in One Heart One striking the heels of Charmander, blundering and almost falling.”

Bowman is now serving those two suspensions after which he will be free to return to race action on February 23, with the Hong Kong Classic Mile win being as good a way as possible for him to sign off for the moment.

Bowman has, unsurprisingly, established himself as one of the leading riders in Hong Kong this season.

The Australian ace is third in the Jockey’s Premiership with thirty-five winners. That does put him twenty-seven winners behind the multiple Hong Kong Premiership winner Zac Purton, but the fact that Purton has taken 156 more rides than Bowman (338 to 182) puts Bowman’s effort in perspective.

Bowman currently is eight winners adrift of Karis Teetan, the second placed rider in the Hong Kong Premiership ... and he is likely to fall further behind by the time he returns from suspension.

Even though there is plenty of time left in the season for Bowman to try and claw back that deficit, it still remains a big task ... but ... if he can, Australia will have the rare credit of having two Australian born riders filling the first two places in a Jockey’s Premiership in an international racing precinct.

It should be a chase worth watching.

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