Hugh Bowman

James Hugh Bowman (born 14 July 1980) is an Australian thoroughbred racing jockey. Based in Sydney, and has ridden 100 Group 1 winners. He was the jockey for Australian champion mare Winx from 2014 through to her retirement in 2019. In 2017, Bowman won the Longines World's Best Jockey award presented by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities. The award capped off a year in which he added to his domestic success with international Group 1 wins in Hong Kong and Japan. In 2019, he was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame, the industry's highest accolade. Bowman is also renowned for his “She’s Apples” winning salute and his nickname of “the Undisputed Group 1 King”.

Early life James Hugh Bowman was born on 14 July 1980 in Dunedoo, NSW. His family spent time on three different properties when he was a child – Cairn Hill, Burrgoen, before his parents decided to return to the family farm, Merotherie, in 1993. who was 12-time champion jockey in the NSW Central Districts and a Group 1 winner (Turridu, 1995 George Main Stakes).

Career On 3 April 1996, Bowman had his first official ride as an amateur jockey at the Mungery Picnic Races in Narromine, NSW aboard Go Campese. He was crowned champion apprentice in Sydney for the 1999/2000 season. During his career, Bowman has ridden:

Exceed and Excel: 2003/04 Australian Champion Sprinter Samantha Miss: 2008/09 Australian Champion Three-Year-Old Filly Werther: 2015/16 Hong Kong Horse of the Year Cheval Grand: 2017 Japan Cup Winner Winx: 4-time Australian Champion Racehorse of the Year (2015/16 - 2018/19), World's Top-Ranked Turf Horse (2016, 2017), World's Best Racehorse (2018 - tied)

On 5 March 2022, Bowman rode his 100th Group One winner when guiding Forbidden Love to win the Canterbury Stakes at Randwick.

Winx

2014 Winx had five different jockeys across her first 11 starts in 2014 and 2015, including Bowman. His involvement with Winx began during the Sydney Spring Racing Carnival in 2014. Bowman's first ride on Winx came at her third career start, on 6 September, in the Group 2 Furious Stakes at Royal Randwick. Winx won the race, making it 3 wins from 3 starts, while also registering her first feature race success. Two starts later, on 4 October, Bowman would ride Winx to a second-place finish in the Group 1 Flight Stakes at Royal Randwick behind First Seal.

2015 Bowman did not ride Winx again until her twelfth career start during the Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival – a victory in the Group 1 Queensland Oaks at Doomben Racecourse on 30 May. This was Winx's first Group 1 success and the second triumph in what was to become her 33 consecutive race winning streak. Two starts later, after a 15-week spell and a return win in the Group 2 Theo Marks Stakes at Rosehill Gardens, Bowman was back aboard Winx steering the mare to victory in the Group 1 Epsom Handicap at Royal Randwick on 3 October. From this race on, Bowman became the permanent jockey for Winx. He would have one more ride on the mare in 2015 when he travelled to Moonee Valley, Melbourne to ride her in the $3 million-dollar Group 1 W. S. Cox Plate – the weight-for-age championship of Australia. Starting as the $4.60 favourite, Winx and Bowman went on to win the race by 4&¾ lengths from Criterion and Irish galloper Highland Reel. The race was won in a record time of 2:02.98.

Group 1 wins + Hugh Bowman's Group 1 Wins Bowman was in England as part of a three-month riding stint with trainer Mick Channon who was based at West Ilsley in Berkshire.

Bowman's most successful year of international racing came in 2017. After securing his first two international Group 1 wins in 2016 aboard Werther in both the Hong Kong Derby (HK) and Queen Elizabeth II Cup (HK), Bowman would go on to win another four Group 1's in 2017. Two of these victories were again on Werther in the Hong Kong Gold Cup (HK) and the Hong Kong Champions & Chater Cup (HK). Bowman won another Group 1 in Hong Kong when he rode Lucky Bubbles to success in the Chairman's Sprint Prize (HK). His fourth win of the year came when he guided Cheval Grand to win the US$5.8 million-dollar Japan Cup (JP), the country's most prominent race.

Personal life Bowman is married to Christine (née Walsh) and they have two daughters. She is a former trackwork rider and on-course producer for TVN's Sydney race meetings.

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