Hugh Bowman

What Are Hugh Bowman’s Strengths as a jockey?

Hugh Bowman is more than ‘the guy who rode Winx.’ For one, his big-race success in Hong Kong and Japan speaks to a horsemanship, professionalism and versatility that very few can match. The fact that the jockey will forever be known for his association with Winx speaks to her transcendent fame because Bowman is an all-time great.

Bowman’s ice-cool demeanour – his old-school manners and country charm – has a timeless quality, almost as if he is from another era of ‘gentleman jockeys,’ but in the saddle, he is something of a throwback as well.

The Australian is one of very few top-class jockeys from his country who rides with his feet fully in the stirrups, eschewing the ‘toe in the irons’ style favoured by the current generation.

That’s not to say he is ‘the last of the straight backs’; Bowman’s style provides him more balance and stability to ride short and still drive hard in a finish. Importantly, he is also able to keep his head still and eyes up – a habit he learned mustering cattle and playing horseback sports as a teenager – maintaining awareness of what is happening around him.

Despite being right-handed, Bowman was taught to carry the whip in his left hand during his apprenticeship in Sydney, giving him an advantage over some of his rivals on the tight, clockwise turns of Sha Tin and Happy Valley, where he rides well.

Bowman has an uncanny ability to ride his own race and let things unfold in front of him without reacting too sharply. Keeping a cool head while all chaos unfolds around him is a trademark Bowman trait. 

Hugh Bowman’s Origin Story

The son of farmers Jim and Mandy Bowman, Hugh Bowman grew up on cattle farms, including the family-owned property “Merotherie” near the tiny and isolated town of Dunedoo in rural New South Wales, Australia.

Jim said of his son in a 2019 interview, “The greatest skill I could give Hugh was the ability to ride a horse,” before Hugh added, “My main influence is my father, who is a committed horseman and a very talented horseman in his own right.”

Bowman believes his sense of anticipation and timing on horses was honed while mustering cattle on the property. “Cattle mustering was something that I grew up doing,” he said. “It had a great bearing on my success as a jockey. When you are mustering cattle, you’ve got to anticipate what they are going to do and where they are going to go, and it is that anticipation that I have grown up with. That has assisted me in my career.”

Bowman’s grandfather, father, and great-uncle all rode as amateur jockeys. Bowman also spent time riding in pony clubs, competing in equestrian events at shows, and playing polocrosse before beginning his apprenticeship.

Bowman was already riding in picnic races before starting his apprenticeship with trainer Leanne Aspros, the wife of former jockey Billy Aspros. By the end of his first season, Bowman was already champion apprentice of the New South Wales central districts.

In 1999, he moved to the Sydney stables of Ron Quinton, who also grew up in Dunedoo and became a five-time Sydney champion jockey. Quinton came through the acclaimed system of ‘the master of apprentices’ Theo Green. In 1999-2000, he was crowned champion apprentice in Sydney.. 

Which horse is Hugh Bowman most famous for riding?

Winx. Bowman rode Winx in 32 of her 37 wins and was defeated just once, but the pair won 29 straight races together during her 33-race winning streak.

Given how transcendent Winx’s fame is, perhaps the better question is which horse, not named Winx, is Bowman best known for riding. In Hong Kong, Bowman’s association with Werther produced a Hong Kong Derby and three other Group 1 wins. Bowman also finished a narrow second in the 2018 Group 1 Takarazuka Kinen on Werther.

Bowman has not spent as much time in Japan as many of his modern rivals, but he did win the 2017 Group 1 Japan Cup on Cheval Grand. 

Who is Hugh Bowman’s greatest rival?

Bowman’s rivalry with Nash Rawiller is on hold for the time being – Bowman is based in Hong Kong full-time, and Rawiller is back in Sydney – but when both were at their peak, it was prime viewing.

Both Bowman and Rawiller could be categorised as ‘heavyweight riders,’ and when they went head-to-head in a finish, it was certainly a heavyweight contest. For five seasons, from 2007/08 to 2012/13, the two jockeys won every Sydney premiership, trading blows season-by-season: Rawiller (2009/10, 2010/11, 2012/13) prevailed 3-2 over Bowman (2008/09, 2011/12).

Bowman went on to win two more in 2014/15 and 2016/17, taking his total to four Sydney jockeys’ premierships. 

What is Hugh Bowman’s greatest achievement?

In 2017, Bowman won the World’s Best Jockey Award after winning a remarkable ten of the top 100 rated races in the world.

In that same year, he won the fourth of his Sydney premierships, coming from 15 wins behind Brenton Avdulla in April to clinch the 2016/17 title. This added to his previous premierships won in 2008/09, 2011/12, and 2014/15.