May 2026

Sean Bowen

admin May 11, 2026

Stable jockey to Olly Murphy in Wilmcote, Warwickshire, Sean Bowen has proved a force majeure in National Hunt racing in recent seasons. He was arguably unlucky not to lift the jump jockeys’ title in Britain for the first time in 2023/24, eventually finishing second behind Harry Cobden after being sidelined for six weeks as the result of a heavy fall at Aintree on Boxing Day, when holding a healthy lead in the championship. Bowen has since sent the record straight, though, winning the British Jump Jockeys’ Championship in 2024/25 with 180 winners and, again, in 2025/26 with an eye-watering 241 winners.

The latter seasonal tally was, in fact, the highest since Tony McCoy rode 258 winners in 2002/03 and far and away the highest since jockeys were restricted to riding at one meeting per day when racing returned, behind closed doors, during the Covid-19 pandemic. After winning his second jockeys’ title in as many years, Bowen told the BBC, “I can’t wait to get back to zero and start all over again, to be honest.”

Bowen was born in Little Newcastle, Pembrokeshire, South West Wales on September 5, 1997 to a racing family. His older brother, Mickey, nows holds the licence at the Yet-Y-Rhug yard, having taken over from his father, Peter, in 2025 and his younger brother, James, is also a successful National Hunt jockey, who finished third in the 2025/26 Jump Jockeys’ Championship with 105 winners. Sean Bowen was champion conditional jockey in 2014/15, only to be usurped by James as the youngest ever winner of that title in 2017/18.

Sean Bowen reached the landmark of 1,000 career winners on Kefir d’Oudairies, trained by Olly Murphy, in a National Hunt Flat race at Fakenham on February 14, 2025. Despite his remarkable tally, though, he has yet to ride a Grade 1 winner or a Cheltenham Festival winner of any description. On reaching the milestone, he said, “It’s been a great season and I’d also love to have a Cheltenham Festival winner.” However, Bowen already has dozens of Graded and Listed winners to his name, so both are surely only a matter of time.

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Tristan Durrell

admin May 11, 2026

A graduate from the field of pony racing, Tristan Durrell joined Dan Skelton in Shelfield Green, near Alcester, Warwickshire straight from school, as a 15-year-old, as a regular stable lad, without the promise of any rides. However, he began riding point-to-pointers trained by Nick Pearce at nearby Alne Park Stud and gradually progressed through the ranks to the point where he rode his first winner under Rules, Eyren, trained by Skelton, in a ‘bumper’ confined to amateur riders and conditional jockeys at Doncaster on March 2, 2019, on just his second ride.

Durrell had to wait until December 17, 2020 for his second winner, Amzac Magic, trained by Jack Barber, in an amateur jockeys’ handicap hurdle at Exeter but, having become a conditional jockey, went on to ride 14 winners in 2021/22, 16 winners in 2022/23, 11 winners in 2023/24 and 12 winners in 2024/25. By that stage of his career, Durrell had already made headlines when, on January 13, 2024, as a 3lb claimer, he rode a high-profile Saturday afternoon double on Flegmatik and Jay Jay Reilly, both trained by Skelton, at Kempton. Victory for the latter in the £100,000 Lanzarote Handicap Hurdle was the biggest win of his career at that stage.

However, 2025/26 proved to be the breakthrough season for Durrell. On November 29, 2025, he partnered Panic Attack, trained by Skelton, to a ready, six-and-a-half length victory in the the £250,000 Coral Gold Cup (formerly the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup) at Newbury. On December 13, 2025, he reached the landmark of 75 winners, thereby riding out his remaining 3lb claim, courtesy of Real Quartz, another trained by Skelton, in a novices’ hurdle at Doncaster. On April 11, 2026, Grand National Day, he rode his first Grade 1 winner for the yard, Mirabad, who sprang a 50/1 surprise in the Maghull Novices’ Chase.

Last, but by no means least, on April 25, 2026, the final day of the National Hunt season, Durrell confirmed his position as champion conditional jockey by winning the opening fillies’ juvenile handicap hurdle on Queen Maeve. He finished the season with 48 winners and is now firmly ensconced as second jockey at the Skelton yard, behind former champopn jockey Harry Skelton.