Sean Bowen Secures Second Consecutive Jockey Championship
Welsh jockey Sean Bowen has been named Britain's leading jumps rider for the second consecutive year, following the conclusion of the 2025-26 season. Despite his success, Bowen has expressed strong criticism of the current racing calendar, describing it as "stupid" and calling for reforms to allow jockeys more substantial breaks.
Bowen officially retained his crown after the races at Sandown, where he finished the season with 241 winners. The runner-up was Harry Skelton with 127 winners, while Bowen's younger brother, James, secured third place with 105 winners.
"The racing calendar is fairly stupid, if I'm being honest," said Bowen.
"I'll have two days off [after Sandown's jump finale] and then I'm off to Punchestown. There's only two days put together twice all summer until our August break."
Concerns Over Racing Schedule and Breaks
The 28-year-old Pembrokeshire-born jockey has competed in over 1,000 races this season, nearly 500 more than second-placed Harry Skelton. He emphasized the need for a more sensible schedule that provides jockeys with longer rest periods.
"I think the calendar as a whole is not right, it doesn't really work, and two days put together twice all summer is crazy, really," Bowen added.
"You have a day on, day off, day on, day off. It'd be very, very easy to put four or five days together, but they don't really think of that."
Currently, there is a 19-day summer jumping break scheduled from 27 July to 14 August. A spokesperson for the British Horse Racing Authority acknowledged the challenges in optimizing the fixture list during summer and stated that efforts continue to balance competitive racing with appropriate breaks.
"We acknowledge the difficulties associated with optimising the fixture list during the summer and have continued to work to strike the appropriate balance, while maintaining the most competitive racing as possible throughout the period."
Targeting Tony McCoy's Record
Despite his criticism of the calendar, Bowen is eager to defend his title next year and aims to improve on his current achievements.
"I can't wait to get back to zero and start all over again, to be honest," Bowen said.
"And we'll obviously try and do what we did this season, if not a little bit more."
Bowen's total of 241 winners places him second only to Tony McCoy, who holds the record for the most winners in a British jumps season with 289 during the 2001-02 campaign. McCoy is a 20-time Champion jockey.
Bowen described McCoy's record as "incredible" but did not dismiss the possibility of surpassing it.
"I think we counted 290-odd days in a season - a winner every day - so I'll have to get a scoot on at the start," he said.
"But I don't think it's something that's impossible to do. It'll obviously take a lot of hard work, but if it's something that I can do, I'll definitely be trying."
Striving for Success at Major Events
Bowen also plans to improve his performance at some of the sport's most prestigious events. Although he has achieved remarkable numbers this season, including a win in the Welsh Grand National aboard Haiti Couleurs, he has yet to secure a Grade 1 victory or a win at the Cheltenham Festival.
"I always set out to be champion jockey but the quality wants to be with it and Cheltenham is the place we all want to win," Bowen said.
"As far as stats go, I probably had a good Cheltenham this year in that I had a 25-1 second, a 50-1 shot finish third and a 25-1 chance in that place too, but getting the good rides isn't easy.
"The quality is something we need but I have no doubt it's going to happen soon, hopefully it will be next season."
