By Daithi Harvey
Between a riding suspension and a desire for some down time, jockey Hugh Bowman will sit out the majority of the month of June and will focus on a return to Australian competitive action in July. “My plan will be to start riding in Sydney from very early July and I'm actually really looking forward to it,” Bowman told Racing And Sports on Monday. “I'm suspended at the moment so unfortunately I'm missing the signature weekend of the Queensland racing carnival this Saturday. So I've got a little bit of time off now and I will freshen up for a return in the saddle in early July.”
Bowman fell foul of the Japanese stewards for careless riding during a recent stint riding in Japan but he may be returning to that country later this month to take the ride on the John Moore-trained Werther (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) in the G1 Takarazuka Kinen at Hanshin June 24, should the horse take up that option. Any mention of Bowman must also include an obligatory inquiry about his high profile partner Winx (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}) and by all accounts the Queen of Australian racing is in fine shape as thoughts begin to turn towards her next phase of training in preparation for a return to the track in August.
“From all reports she spelled very well and I guess once she gets back into her program at the Chris Waller stables at Rosehill he'll start to assess where she's at mentally and physically,” Bowman said.
He continued, “Physically she's fine but I guess mentally we're not going to know until we start putting the pressure on her again. She's such a fine athlete and we're expecting her to come back just as well as she went out. She went out on the top of her game after winning the Queen Elizabeth S. and we're expecting her to come back in the same form, and we're looking forward to it.”
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
