Hugh Bowman: back for the weekend 'fresher' and 'more alert'

Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything

Hugh Bowman is one of the dudes of Australian racing; deftly dressed, good talker, successful jockey. Except that these days he’s more a product of Hong Kong, which is likely to be the case for a little while more.

In November last year, the Sydney rider relocated to Hong Kong in a hurry and, in January, he successfully applied to have his licence extended. Bowman will remain in the Asian city until at least the end of the Hong Kong season (July), and maybe even longer.

At the moment, however, he’s back in Sydney on a short hiatus.

Bowman arrived last Thursday and rode a decent book on Day 1 of The Championships. He was third aboard Barber (Exceed And Excel) and Wolverine (NZ) (Tivaci) throughout the day, second aboard Don Corleone (Extreme Choice) and fourth aboard Sharp ‘N’ Smart (NZ) (Redwood {GB}), an old flame, in the Derby.

This Saturday, he will sit on Arts in the G1 Australian Oaks, a ride he has picked up from the unavailable Sam Clipperton. The filly is trained by Edward Cummings, for whom Bowman delivered a debut Group 1 two years ago, and she’s a pretty good reason to be home.

“I was lucky to pick her up,” Bowman said, chatting this week with TDN AusNZ. “I thought she was exceptional winning the Adrian Knox last weekend. I was narrowly defeated on Duais in the Oaks a couple of years ago for Edward, so it would be lovely to go one better.”

Arts will be on the quick back-up for Bowman in the Oaks. She won the G3 Adrian Knox S. last Saturday, and the four-length manner of her victory surprised even her trainer.

Edward Cummings observed earlier this week that the filly will have career start number four in the Oaks, while Duais (Shamus Award), his Oaks benchmark when runner-up to Hungry Heart (Frankel {GB}) two years ago, was lining up for the eighth time.

Either way, Arts is among the first three favourites on Saturday alongside Pavitra (American Pharoah {USA}) and the Kiwi raider Pennyweka (NZ) (Satono Aladdin {Jpn}).

It will also be an opportunity for Bowman to crack 100 Australian Group 1 victories, sitting as he has on 99 since winning the G1 Spring Champion S. on Sharp ‘N’ Smart in the spring.

Had saddle, did travel

Before November last year, Bowman had ridden in Hong Kong several times, so he was no stranger to its theatre.

He had partnered John Moore’s talented gelding Werther (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) on numerous top-shelf occasions, as well as Lucky Bubbles (Sebring) and Furore (NZ) (Pierro) in the last few years.

The decision to relocate to Hong Kong temporarily meant packing up his wife Christine and their two girls, Bambi and Paige, and the decision has been both fruitful and complicated in equal measure.

“It’s been a bit of a whirlwind for us,” Bowman said. “We went over there with a three-month contract and it’s been going well, well-enough for them to extend the contract. So the goal posts have kept moving for us. We went over with a long-term goal, but I didn’t want to make that a reality unless things were working out.”

In Australia, Bowman had checked off just about every box imaginable in the riding ranks. He had won multiple premierships, 99 Group 1 features and he’d had that career-defining racehorse. His partnership with Winx (Street Cry {Ire}) will forever be tied to his legacy, so it was logical that he was looking for something new.

“It wasn’t a goal of ours specifically,” Bowman said. “The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) had approached us about going over on a short-term contract. I’ve ridden there with a great deal of success in the past, so it was something that I’d always considered, but with COVID it fell off our radar. Christine and I were more than content with our Sydney lifestyle.

“But when the opportunity came along late last year, from a family point of view and professionally, there was really nothing to lose. So we took the option on that three-month contract and we headed over.”

The Bowmans moved into Happy Valley and the kids started school in Hong Kong. By January, things had been going so well that extending the contract was a no-brainer.

“Three months went very quickly and we asked for an extension to the end of the season, which was granted, and here we are,” Bowman said. “It was a decision in our life that we had to make very quickly, and with two young children it was a big decision. There was a lot to consider and a lot to get organised.

“But I think it would be very hard to be there without the family. They give me a sense of stability and continuity in the lifestyle up there, which can be very busy and very intense.”

Lessons from Hong Kong

Bowman is pushing 43 this year. As far as professional athletes go in elite sport, it’s getting up there.

Decades of professional riding, in his case since 1996, have worn him thin, something he was beginning to realise in Australia, and one of the surprising consequences of his time in Hong Kong is the physical reprieve that comes with two race meetings a week.

“I was really starting to find that the work toll on my body, physically, was starting to affect me,” he said. “I’m not saying I don’t feel it in Hong Kong because I’m 42, but it’s better for my body up there. I feel like Hong Kong will give me longevity in the saddle.”

Bowman wasn’t expecting that. He’d chatted to Darren Beadman about it in the past, who had also headed to Hong Kong at about the same point in his riding career. But what is it about Hong Kong racing that is kinder to its jockeys?

“The biggest difference is two meetings a week,” he said. “That’s a huge difference for me. In Sydney, I’d be riding three to four meetings a week along with three to four sets of barrier trials a fortnight, occasionally more. So the work load in Hong Kong is less, although I’m finding it more intense.”

The topicality of this issue right now is important. A recent spate of high-profile race falls in Australia has drawn a spotlight to the issue of too much racing, tired riders and subsequent risks. It’s something the likes of Ben Melham has been vocal about.

Hong Kong, with a much more captive audience and a racing industry controlled wholly by one club, has created a unique two-meeting schedule from September through July that seems to work very well for its participants.

“I’m much fresher going to the races and I’m much more alert,” Bowman said. “From that perspective, I’m really enjoying it.”

Bowman breaks down the detail.

“It’s very systematic there,” he said. “You have 24 or 25 contracted jockeys and there’s no change to that with the exception of the Group 1 meetings, which is when the international jockeys will fly in for the day. That aside, it’s a roster that doesn’t change… you’ve got the same horses, the same jockeys and the same trainers.”

Bowman said that expectation is very high in Hong Kong, much more so than in Australia, and it’s because the horses are so closely handicapped.

“Because there’s no influx of new horses or hundreds of yearlings coming through the system each season, you’ve got the same group of horses racing each other. If they win a race, they go up anywhere from five to eight or nine pounds in weight, and they’ve got to take on the same horses next time carrying that new weight.

“They need a lot to go their way to win their races, therefore. They need a good draw, a good ride and they need conditions to suit on the day. So much needs to go their way to win and, being a jockey, you’re a huge influence on that. You’re one of the most important ingredients in that recipe and that’s where the intensity comes from.”

Despite the ‘heat in the kitchen’, and many have spoken of the pressure cooker that is Hong Kong racing, Bowman is finding himself a more relaxed character since being there. Change, they say, is good.

“Things have been going well,” he said. “I’m really enjoying my riding, more so than I have for quite some time.”