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‘I can’t wait till next season to do it all again’: dual champion jockey Sean Bowen on targeting AP McCoy’s records and overcoming a childhood aversion to horses


  • To be mentioned in the same breath as legendary 20-time champion Sir Anthony “AP” McCoy is a huge honour for any jockey. But justifying every comparison bestowed upon him is the current king of the weighing room, Sean Bowen.

    On Saturday (25 April) the 28-year-old jump jockey is officially crowned champion for the second season running. Not since AP McCoy’s incredible record-breaking reign have we seen the kind of stats that the young Welshman is racking up.

    Immediately after earning his first jockeys’ championship in 2025, he set off in hot pursuit of the next title and enjoyed his quickest ever start to a season, eventually racking up nearly 250 winners at a superb 24% strike rate. To put that into perspective, he’s ridden nearly twice as many winners as any of his weighing room colleagues.

    “It’s only AP to beat now numbers-wise and that will take some doing, but the numbers have been incredible. I’m very lucky,” says Sean.

    “It’s taken an immense amount of work – I surpassed 1,000 rides for the season at Perth [on Thursday, 23 April] – so the miles on the road are a lot. But now I’ve reached my targets for this season, I really can’t wait till next season to start it all over again.”

    Not only does this unassuming Welshman have the same relentless McCoy-esque work ethic, his mindset is strikingly similar, with an all-consuming drive to succeed and a hawk-like focus on the ambitious goals he sets himself.

    “Winning my first championship was amazing,” he says. “But to be champion jockey, chasing numbers is what you’ve got to do. You have to set your own targets and hopefully they come.

    “It’s not just about the big Saturdays either – every day is important because the day-to-day meetings are where you rack up the winners. I know AP used to chase numbers and he got to a record 289 winners one season, which is a crazy amount really, but hopefully that’s something I can achieve.

    “All I dreamt of as a kid was to be champion jockey and I suppose now I’m in this position, I don’t want to give it up too easily!”

    Jockey Sean Bowen with his trophy for becoming the 2024-25 Champion Jockey at Sandown Park Racecourse.

    Jockey Sean Bowen with his trophy for becoming the 2024-25 Champion Jockey at Sandown Park Racecourse.

    Sean Bowen: a class apart

    So what sets Sean Bowen apart from his current crop of weighing room colleagues – a hugely talented bunch in their own right that includes previous champions Brian Hughes, Harry Skelton and Harry Cobden?

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