Surely the most unique winning double of the weekend was the one achieved by Muswellbrook trainer Jan Bowen. The horse loving grandmother was on cloud nine when her consistent three year old Casino Kid stormed home to win the TAB Highway at Randwick. The win marked the first of a memorable quartet for apprentice Reece Jones whose star is rising rapidly.
Twenty six hours later Jan pulled into Gulgong racecourse after a two and a half hour drive from Muswellbrook. She had only one horse on her three horse trailer - the eight year old gelding Slickster who’s been mixing his form since his last win eleven months ago. Jan thought he needed to get the scent of victory again and the Gulgong race looked ideal on paper. It was a 1000m BM50 around a leader’s track. He flew the gates for Clayton Gallagher and was never headed to win by a big space.
Jan was delighted to revisit the coveted confines of the metropolitan winner’s circle on Saturday, for the first time since Roman Typhoon won a race on the Kenso track two years ago. She brings very few horses to town, but serious punters take notice when the astute Bowen tenders a city nomination.
Jan was of the opinion Casino Kid would be admirably suited by the 1500m of Saturday’s Class 3 Highway even without a weight reduction. However, she elected to enhance his prospects with a 3kg claim for Sydney’s current “whiz kid” who’ll be riding his share of favourites in the months ahead.
Reece Jones wasn’t flustered when Casino Kid began a little bit awkwardly but simply let him find his feet midfield on the fence. The gelding quickly ran up behind a line of leaders on the rise, where Jean Van Overmeire on Sharlie quite correctly held him in the pocket. Just as Reece was easing back to come around Sharlie, Roman stopped quickly to his inside and the apprentice was able to switch course. Casino Kid showed a sparkling turn of foot to put them away in a few strides.
Casino Kid and Reece Jones were fairly flying at the end of Saturday's TAB Highway - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
“He showed the acceleration that stamps him as a pretty useful horse,” said Jan. “The race was run at a genuine tempo which suited him down to the ground. He was able to come off that speed with a big kick. Another attribute that will help him in the future is a great airway. I’ve never trained a cleaner winded horse. Even on a hot day when the atmosphere is thick, he wouldn’t blow a candle out.”
Casino Kid was bred by Dan Morice from a mating between Casino Prince and a Hurricane Sky mare called Cyclone Annie who showed little on the track. Her only win from ten starts was in a Wangaratta maiden, but the second dam Currabahah, a daughter of Northern Spring (Ire) could pick ‘em up and put ‘em down. Trained by Ron Maund in the 1980’s, Currabahah won twelve races including six on city tracks. She won a race at Caulfield by 3.5 lengths and another down the Flemington straight 1200m by 5 lengths.
Dan Morice elected to lease Casino Kid to his son George, who in turn put together a syndicate which he manages from his Sydney office. “I liked him from the moment he walked into my stables,” said Jan. “His lovely nature was evident from the start, and as soon as we got him bowling along you could see he was a nice moving horse.”
Jan was pretty taken by Casino Kid from the moment he entered her Muswellbrook stables - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Casino Kid won a 2YO Maiden at Wellington at his fourth race start with Adrian Layt in the saddle. He didn’t win in his next eight starts, but was in the placings four times. Jan Bowen is adamant he was desperately unlucky in at least two of those races. Then came a Class 2 win at Gunnedah with Aaron Bullock up followed by a short head second at Tamworth in a BM66. The trainer then made the call to bring him to town and her judgement was vindicated on Saturday.
Jan Bowen trains from her four hectare property right on Muswellbrook racecourse, and by her own admission has suffered a thoroughbred addiction for most of her life. Currently she and son Justin have somewhere between 25 and 30 horses in training between them, but that’s only the half of it. “I have four pregnant mares on the property, four weanlings, and three yearlings currently being broken in,” said Jan.
One of Jan’s broodmares is the former talented race mare Alart described recently by retired jockey Greg Ryan, as one of the best horses he rode. The daughter of Excellent Art won eight races including the Wellington Boot and the listed Reginald Allen Quality at Rosehill in 2015. Alart’s first seven wins were under the expert tutelage of Muswellbrook training legend Pat Farrell. Jan actually prepared the mare for her last dozen runs which included a BM70 win at Canterbury early in 2019 with Robbie Dolan in the saddle. She went within a nose of winning another BM70 two starts later.
Jan is besotted with Alart’s weanling filly by Galileo’s son Churchill, a brilliant two year old for Coolmore and a dual Guineas winner at three.
“There seems to be speed to burn right through Churchill’s family,” said Jan. “The Coolmore experts say he’ll cross beautifully with fast Australian mares from speed families. Alart fits the bill perfectly.”
Jan Bowen’s love affair with racing began when she and her close neighbour Pat Farrell jointly raced a mare called She’s A Success in the early 90’s. The Rutland mare was placed twice in only four runs before Jan and Pat decided to breed her to the somewhat underrated stallion Bite The Bullet, who was getting regular winners at the time. The resultant progeny was a chestnut colt later named Remember Red who had only one run for Pat Farrell, finishing a respectable fourth in a Newcastle Maiden. Remember Red was a gelding when he resumed from a spell, with Jan Bowen as his new trainer. He started favourite in a Muswellbrook Maiden on February 25th 2005 and led throughout to win comfortably with Ryan Wiggins on board.
Jan loves racing in the Hunter Valley. Here she is with Tim Clark on Scone Cup day 2015 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Remember Red finished second in a Class 2 at his following run, after which knee chip issues emerged. Surgery was unsuccessful and the gelding showed little in five subsequent runs before being retired. You won’t find Remember Red’s name among the annals of the all time greats, but to Jan Bowen he’ll always be the horse to launch a career she’s loved.
Coincidentally it was a half brother to Remember Red who provided Jan with her first metropolitan win. Lucky Night was a son of Sir Laurence, and had won six races for Pat Farrell before being transferred to Jan in 2005. The emerging trainer won another three races with Lucky Night including that all important maiden metropolitan success in a Warwick Farm Welter with Peter Wells in the saddle.
Just two years later a very special horse entered her life - a chestnut gelding by Brahms from Jester Crew, a Crown Jester mare who’d won five country races for Pat Farrell. Jest Crewsin’ was Jan’s horse in every sense of the word. She owned him outright, and trained him throughout a career which embraced 74 starts for ten wins, nineteen placings and $425,000. Five of those wins were in town and included the time honoured stakes race the Carrington Stakes in 2011. “A horse like Jest Crewsin’ helps to erase all the other disappointments and makes it so much easier to drag yourself out of bed when the wind’s howling and the rain’s tumbling down.”
Jan's all time favourite Jest Crewsin' (Kerrin McEvoy) wins the listed Carrington Stakes 2011 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
The dedicated trainer is hoping a two year old gelding called Zakor might be the horse to walk in the footsteps of Jest Crewsin’. He’s by the successful Epaulette from a mare called Universal Miss, a daughter of multiple Gr 1 winner Universal Prince. “His mother never won but was placed eight times and had a fair bit of ability,” said Jan. “Zakor has had only three starts for a win in a 2YO Maiden at Tamworth. He followed that with a good fourth at Tamworth. Not long before that win he got cast in the box at home, and may have had some niggling issues. I’m looking forward to his next preparation.”
Jan is also looking forward to beginning an official training partnership with her grandson Justin who seems totally committed to a future with horses. The younger Bowen has had his own trainer’s licence for a few years and has already prepared a handful of winners. He got away to a good start with the handy mare Alchera who has won two at Quirindi and one at Scone for her youthful trainer.
Jan nominates Zakor as a horse for the future. Here he is winning a 2yo maiden at Tamworth in April - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Jeff Penza is one of several high profile riders to enjoy a winning association with Jan in recent years. “She’s a true horse lover who doesn’t leave a stone unturned in getting them ready for their races,” said Jeff. “I won a couple of races for her on a horse called Fireball a few years ago and absolutely fell in love with him. I pleaded with Jan to let me have him for the show ring when his racing days were over.
She won a string of races with him, but I can tell you he’s an even better showjumper. Fireball’s temperament is a result of the way he was looked after by Jan Bowen.”
Thank you Jeff Penza. That says it all.
(Banner image - Casino Kid put the opposition away in a few strides in Saturday's TAB Highway - courtesy Bradley Photographers.)