It is not uncommon for people in the world of horse racing to come from a family associated with the sport. In the case of Peter Bowen, though, the mildly unusual thing is that it is his offspring that have gone on to follow him into the sport.
It is important not to mix him up with the American writer who was born on the 22nd of May in 1945, not least of all because he died in 2020. Bowen’s racing career was borne out of determination, starting off without the way into the industry that many others receive, working hard to become a top-class trainer of exceptionally talented horses.
About
Peter Bowen took out his training licence back in 1995, having already enjoyed a fair degree of success in point-to-point racing before then. Those familiar with National Hunt racing will recognise the name of Richard Johnson, for whom Bowen had to thank for his first win under rules when he tasted success in a Class E handicap chase run in Sedgefield in the October of that year. Soon, he and his wife, Karen, had bought a bungalow with a few fields and began the arduous process of turning that into a top-class training facility. Raised in nearby Little Newcastle, he chose to stay close to home when opening his yard.
In the years that followed, Bowen worked to send his horses to all of the biggest racing venues around the United Kingdom, regularly getting to enter the Winners’ Enclosure with them. The first-born son of the pair, Mickey, followed in his father’s footsteps by training point-to-point horses and then spent time working under Willie Mullins in Ireland. In 2025, when Peter stepped down, Mickey took over the trainer’s licence from his father, having shared it with him the year before. Middle child Sean became a professional jockey in 2015, whilst James was the youngest-ever winner of the Welsh Grand National in 2018.
Major Successes
As you can imagine, a trainer with the history of Peter Bowen to his name has enjoyed more than a few big wins over the years. Although the biggest events have avoided him, meaning that the likes of the Grand National and the Cheltenham Gold Cup were not added to his trophy cabinet before he retired. That doesn’t mean that he hasn’t enjoyed some victories at the courses that hold those events, however. In fact, he came close to winning both of them in the last, with Take the Stand just missing out on the Gold Cup in 2005 and McKelvey being the runner-up in the National in 2007.
Here is a look at just some of the trophies that Bowen trained the winner of over the years:
- Grand Sefton Chase
- Market Rasen Summer Plate
- Scottish Grand National
- Topham Trophy Chase
- Summer National
Horses Trained
In spite of the location of his yard in Pembrokeshire, Wales, Bowen has seen more than a few well-fancied horses make their way through his care during this career. Although he didn’t win either of the big jump trophies during his career, he worked as a trainer for 30 years, meaning that he picked up more than 1,000 wins and over £10 million in prize money, thanks to the horses that followed his training techniques. Obviously, some of the events that his horses won weren’t as well-known as if we were talking about a trainer like Willie Mullins, but they’re still worth a mention.
Here is a look at a few of the horses that Bowen worked with during his career:
Always Waining
If you want to mention a noteworthy horse that made its way through the yard of Peter Bowen, you would do well to start with Always Waining. The horse made history in the April of 2012 by becoming the first horse to win the Topham Chase for the third successive time. The race, of course, is run over the Grand National fences, with Always Waining’s trick being to turn up to the course in a poor run of form before coming alive at Aintree Racecourse. The bookmakers never learned, however, sending him off with odds of 11/1 for his third and final win in the race.
Yes Sir
Another horse more than worthy of a mention is the one that registered more career wins for Bowen’s stable than any other horse. Yes Sir showed his class in 2006 when he ran out as the winner of the Summer Championship, also showing that the season was one that he enjoyed when he won the Summer Plate Chase. The horse won the Channel 4 Trophy, which goes some way to explaining why it is that he was so highly rated by Bowen and the rest of his yard. He is also proof, were it needed, that winning the big-name events isn’t necessary to be considered a class act.
Al Co
The Scottish Grand National isn’t anywhere near as prestigious as its English cousin, but that doesn’t mean that winners of it aren’t treated like royalty when they return to their stables. Open to horses aged five and over and run on a course of about four miles at Ayr, Al Co had to contend with the 27 fences as he moved to win the race back in 2014. He was a nine-year-old at the time, ridden by Jamie Moore after being trained to take on the event by Bowen and carrying a weight of ten stone and two points, which was more than some winners that came after him.
McKelvey
McKelvey was born in Ireland on the fifth of August 1999 out of Anshan and Emarati. He caught the attention of the horse racing world when he won the Summer National in 2006, with many feeling that it would set him up nicely for the Grand National the following year. Sent off with odds of 12/1 and carrying ten stone and four pounds, he threatened to win the race but was beaten by just three-quarters of a length by Silver Birch. Sadly, the horse lost his rider the following year, stumbling after landing at the 20th fence and fracturing his back, requiring euthanasia on the field.
Take the Stand
The old saying goes that if you are first you are first and if you are second you are nothing. That is made to look like a lie by the career of Take the Stand, who won the 2004 Summer National before heading off to the Cheltenham Festival as one of the hopes for the Gold Cup. Aged nine, he was given odds of 25/1 and made them look silly when he ran home in second, missing out to the pre-race favourite of Kicking King. He won the Summer Championship after that and in 2008 was named as the Hunter Chaser of the Year, showing what a talent he boasted.
