It is unusual to say the least to ride a double in consecutive races without passing the winning post in front on either occasion, but that is what happened to William Bowen at Monmouth in November 1907.
William Henry Bowen was born in Wales around 1887. He rode a total of 33 winners over jumps, 10 of them at Monmouth, during a career that was compromised by World War One.
He rode in public for the first time when finishing sixth of eight runners in the Kineton Chase at Warwick on November 27, 1905. He did not ride his first winner until February 22, 1907, when Royal Spa obliged by a length and a half in the Grateley Selling Hurdle at Newbury.
William recorded six winners that year, two of them in fortuitous circumstances. The date was November 7, 1970; the second day of Monmouth’s two-day National Hunt fixture. He had already ridden a winner on the first day but would end the meeting with two more.
In the Monmouthshire Selling Handicap Hurdle, he finished second on More Haste, beaten a neck, but was awarded the race when the rider of first past the post Little Tom failed to weigh in. Half an hour later, in the Novices’ Hurdle, William again finished second, this time on Mr Girdle, half a length behind the ‘winner’ RA, who was then disqualified by the stewards for bumping and boring the runner-up.
William rode four winners in 1908, two of them at the corresponding two-day Monmouth fixture, landing the Maiden Hurdle and the Novices’ Hurdle on consecutive days aboard Off Side. His other two wins came in the form of a double at Portsmouth on November 27, taking the Farlington Handicap Hurdle on 6-4 favourite Off Side and the Wymmering Selling Handicap Hurdle on 5-2 favourite More Haste.
Five winners followed in 1909 followed by a career-best score of seven in 1910. Monmouth accounted for three of those, winning a selling hurdle on Gorgias on the first day of the April meeting and the selling hurdles on both days of the October fixture aboard More Haste and Gorgias.
He rode two winners in 1911 but then endured a two-season hiatus before resuming winning ways in 1914 with a score of three. Unsurprisingly, two of those were gained at Monmouth. At the two-day April meeting, he won a maiden chase on the first day on Lovely Thrush and a maiden hurdle on day two aboard Acutissima.
Later that year, racing found itself on a reduced format due to the outbreak of war. It was 1920 before William visited the winner’s enclosure again, scoring three times that year.
His last three victories came the following year, all courtesy of the mare Lady Risca, winning selling hurdles at Newbury on February 23, at Ludlow on May 13 and, finally, the Blaenavon Handicap Hurdle at Newport on May 16, 1921.
William rode for the last time when finishing unplaced on Marsh Rosemary in the Selling Handicap Hurdle at Newton Abbot on September 17, 1924.
