PEMBROKESHIRE jockey Sean Bowen could be part of a historic all-Welsh showdown when he lines up in the Cheltenham Gold Cup later this week.

Bowen and fellow Welsh rider Ben Jones are set to go head-to-head in jump racing’s most prestigious race on Friday — the showpiece event on the final day of the Cheltenham Festival.

In what is believed to be the first time in living memory, two Welsh jockeys will ride leading contenders in the famous race, which is widely regarded as the pinnacle of National Hunt racing.

Champion jockey Bowen will partner Haiti Couleurs, the Welsh Grand National winner trained in Newport, Pembrokeshire, by leading trainer Rebecca Curtis.

Jones will ride the unbeaten The Jukebox Man, a rapidly rising star trained by Ben Pauling and owned by former football manager Harry Redknapp.

Both jockeys developed their careers on Welsh racecourses such as Ffos Las and Chepstow, but Cheltenham now offers a chance for glory on one of the sport’s biggest stages.

With the Gold Cup traditionally dominated by Irish-trained horses and runners from the largest British yards, the prospect of two Welsh jockeys battling for victory has become one of the most talked-about stories in Welsh racing ahead of the Festival.

Both arrive at Cheltenham with genuine hopes in what many pundits believe is one of the most open renewals of the race in recent years.

For Bowen, who looks set to retain his Champion Jockey title this season, the Gold Cup represents the ultimate prize.

The Little Newcastle native believes Haiti Couleurs has the stamina and temperament needed for Cheltenham’s gruelling test.

“You never know till the day, he’ll definitely love the track. He’ll definitely stay very, very well. And look, he’s a very, very good horse,” said Bowen.

“Hopefully he’s the best on the day. But you never know going into those races — I think it’s probably the widest open Gold Cup there’s been in a long time. Hopefully we’re thereabouts.”

Haiti Couleurs carries perhaps the strongest Welsh storyline. Trained by Curtis on the beaches near Newport, the nine-year-old is attempting to become only the second Welsh-trained horse ever to win the Gold Cup.

The only previous Welsh success came in 1990 when the 100-1 outsider Norton’s Coin produced one of the biggest shocks in the race’s history.

Unlike that famous upset, Haiti Couleurs arrives with strong credentials after winning the Welsh Grand National at Chepstow in December.

Already a Cheltenham Festival winner after landing last season’s National Hunt Chase, the powerful staying chaser has continued to improve and heads to the race among the leading contenders following victory in the Grade Two Denman Chase at Newbury earlier this year.

Curtis said the horse could hardly have done more in his final preparation for the Festival.

“I was delighted — I don’t really think he could have done any more,” she said.

“He was lonely in front, jumping that horrible ground. It just looked like he was in third gear and then when something came to him, he quickened away and jumped nicely up the straight and sort of put the race to bed, which is what we wanted.

“I didn’t want him to have an overly hard race with Cheltenham so close, so I was very pleased.”

Curtis believes the horse’s steady improvement over the past two seasons has turned him into a genuine Gold Cup contender.

“He’s been amazing, he’s run some real legendary type races — the Irish National and the Welsh National. To be going into the Gold Cup with single-figure odds is amazing,” she added.

“We always thought he was a very nice horse as a young horse, but he’s just improved with every single run.

“He wouldn’t be one of those you’d work at home and go ‘wow’, but like Sean said, you put three miles and fences in front of him and he comes alive.”

Haiti Couleurs’ proven stamina in marathon contests — including victories in the Irish Grand National and Welsh Grand National — suggests the punishing three miles and two furlongs of the Gold Cup could play directly to his strengths.

While Haiti Couleurs represents a traditional staying powerhouse, Jones arrives at Cheltenham with one of the most exciting young chasers currently in training.

The Jukebox Man has won all four of his starts over fences, including a breakthrough victory in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.

Jones — whose father Dai is clerk of the course at Chepstow — has ridden the horse in each of those victories and has developed a strong bond with the unbeaten chaser.

“I wouldn’t swap him for any other horse in the race,” he said.

“It’s a bit annoying that it’s on the Friday and I’ll have to wait all week to get my leg up on him, but it’s very, very exciting.

“He’s never let me down, and I’ve won on him every time I’ve sat on him.”

This year’s race promises to be fiercely competitive.

Leading Irish contender Galopin Des Champs has been ruled out, but Inothewayurthinkin brings proven Grade One form and strong Festival credentials, ensuring the traditional Irish challenge remains formidable.

However, many observers believe the race lacks a clear dominant favourite, giving both Bowen and Jones a realistic chance of success.

If either rider manages to guide their mount up the famous Cheltenham hill in front on Friday afternoon, it would mark a landmark moment for Welsh racing — and one of the standout stories of this year’s Festival.