Photo: HKJC
Hugh Bowman celebrated the approval of his renewed driver’s license in Hong Kong (which will now take him through to the end of the season) with a Group 3 win aboard the Senor Toba with a 3.9 Centenary Vase Handicap. million Hong Kong dollars was disputed over 1800m at Sha Tin on Sunday.
Bowman was initially assigned a driving contract in Hong Kong from November 13 to February 12.
Not only Bowman’s reputation (as a winner of 104 Group 1 races) helped secure the new deal, but his performances in the saddle since his arrival have earned him the right to stay there.
Bowman’s 21 winners for the season saw him sit in fifth on the ladder of the Hong Kong Equestrian Championship… that’s just two winners behind Lyle Hewitson, who, to book the spot. Bowman’s in the background, had 149 more rides than Bowman.
Bowman’s latest feature film race winner, Senor Toba, also has strong ties to Australia.
Two years ago at Moonee Valley on January 15, Senor Toba beat Maiden with double odds. In his next four starts in Australia, he won the Group 3 Packers Leaderboard at Randwick, finished third in Group 3 of Rough Habits and was surpassed only by his steady friend Kukerracha passed by the narrowest distance in the Queensland Derby when ridden by Hugh Bowman.
If that ‘whisker’ outcome had played out the other way, Senor Toba would have left the Australian shores as a Group 1 winner… but another Pot 1 winning chance is now within Senor’s sights. Toba with coach Casper Fownes confirmed that Senor Toba will make the trip to Doha, Qatar to compete for the QAT G1 HH The Amir Trophy over 2400m at Al Rayyan on February 18.
Hugh Bowman will remain in Hong Kong at that time, taking part in the horse races there, with Fownes also confirming that Joao Moreira, who won against Senor Toba previously, will join the trip in Qatar.
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