News

Pembrokeshire jockey Sean Bowen secures an impressive 100th win

Published

2 years ago

November 18, 2023

SEAN BOWEN secured his 100th win in the 2023/24 Jump Jockeys’ Championship today, dashing into an impressive lead as he looks to become Champion Jockey for the first time.

The victory was aboard Booster Bob trained by Olly Murphy, at Uttoxeter.

With the best part of six months of the season still to come, the Welsh rider has created a sizable break on the chasing pack, with a 34-point lead on fellow jockey Harry Cobden who is closely followed by Sam Twiston-Davies and Brian Hughes.

The 26-year-old has caught the attention of racing fans as a future Champion Jockey having enjoyed great success on the Point-to Points as a 16-year-old. The son of Pembrokeshire-based trainer Peter Bowen, Bowen won the 2015 Champion Conditional Jockeys’ title in his first full season as a professional and has since established himself as one of Jump racing’s top riders. His personal-best of 125 winners last season saw him fall 40 short of reigning Champion Jockey Hughes, but he has made a lightning-fast start to this campaign. He could even overhaul last season’s tally before Christmas after a superb summer.

Speaking on 2023/4 Jump Jockeys’ Championship, Bowen told Herald Sport: “Champion Jockey is the main aim for the whole season. I have got a nice lead, which is ideal going into this time of year, but we are only halfway through so hopefully I have got plenty of nice yards to ride for and plenty of nice horses to ride, which will provide me with enough winners from now till the end of April.

Working towards his main goal Bowen has had luck at several tracks and looks forward to some upcoming rides: “I have had a lot of success at Aintree and Sandown, so I personally love those two tracks. So, I would say the Grand National Meeting and the Bet 365 meeting at Sandown are my two favourite meetings.

There are plenty of nice novices, but you don’t really know until you run them, so the one I am most looking forward to getting back on is Noble Yeats who was a good horse for me last season, winning the grade 2 chase at Aintree and then went on to finish fourth in the Grand National and Gold Cup, so he was one of my best rides last season and I am looking forward to getting back on him again.”

When asked if there was a ride he has his eye on, he said: “I think everyone in the weighing room probably has the same answer to this question and wants to ride Constitution Hill, he is the horse that everyone would love to ride.”

A partnership with powerful Warwickshire trainer Olly Murphy has been key with the pair sharing 68 successes and it gives him plenty of ammunition going into the main jumps season. Bowen’s father supplied him with more winners over the summer months than any other trainer and the likes of Harry Fry, Martin Keighley, Ryan Potter, Gary Hanmer and even Sir Mark Prescott have all been keen to use his services. Gordon Elliott has also been a big supporter on the Irish trainer’s raids to these shores. Sean’s strength in the saddle and fierce determination gives the chasing pack a massive task if they are to derail his quest to be champion jockey.

Chasing Bowen are Brian Hughes, Harry Cobden and Sam Twiston-Davies. Three-time Champion Jockey and current title holder Hughes spoke to Great British Racing and gave an insight into the season ahead. Hughes acknowledged the struggles that come with the change in weather, along with his hopes moving forward, he said:

“I would like to just get some racing in and try and race some winners to be honest it has been a quiet for a couple of weeks now.

“I like riding Minella Drama, although he is not the easiest customer in the world, but he has got plenty of ability, so I like riding him.”

The pair have had four starts together this year, two of which ended in success at the start of the year at Kelso and Musselburgh. More recently the Green Day Racing owned horse secured second place at Aintree at the end of October, proving to be a favorable duo.

On his tail is Sam Twiston-Davies who looks forward to the upcoming fixtures, with his personal goals in mind, he said: “I always look forward to the November Cheltenham meetings, which are good fun. I don’t have favorites; I am in a lucky position to ride at a lot of the good meetings and try and enjoy them all.

Getting 100 winners in the season is something I always work towards, but it can be quite tricky.”

With 66 wins on the leaderboard Twiston-Davies is already over halfway to achieving his goal for the season which may not be too far-fetched for the 31-year-old jockey.

Second on the leaderboard but with high ambitions to make his way to the top is Harry Cobden. At the age of 24 Cobden has topped £2 million in prize money in three of the last five years and has achieved 21 Grade 1 winners.

He is hopeful for the months ahead, with several promising horses to join him on the track, he said:

“My standout would be Bravemansgame. We have got a few good hurdlers this year, Rubaud is quite a good hurdler and is probably going to be going to the Christmas hurdle on Boxing Day, so he would probably be our standout hurdler this year.

We have also got a lovely bunch of Novice chasers, one of the best would be Stay Away Faye, I am looking forward to him. We have some lovely novice hurdlers this year as well, the two stand out ones would be Captain Teague and Inthewaterside.”

Talking goals and the months ahead in the championship Cobden told Great British Racing:

“I would love to ride 100 winners this season and if I could ride five grade one winners that would be that would be a little bonus!”

He continued: “I am going to try and win the championship, but I am 34 winners behind Sean Bowen, so he is going to be very difficult to catch up. It is a matter of how well I get on between now and the end of the season in sixth months. It is going to be a tough task, and I am going to need a lot of support, but he is definitely the one to beat.”

With similar thoughts to Bowen, Cobden would also like to get a ride on the extraordinary Constitution Hill.

The winner the Jump Jockey Championship will be crowned at Sandown’s bet365 Jump Finale on Saturday 27th April 2024.

To follow the Jump Jockey Championship for the rest of the season, visit Championships – Great British Racing

Local Government

Sewage leak at Pembroke Commons prompts urgent clean-up works

Published

45 minutes ago

December 4, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Council pollution officers say they have no enforcement powers over Welsh Water infrastructure

SEWAGE contamination on the Commons in Pembroke has prompted an urgent response from pollution officers, after a leak was reported by a member of the public on Tuesday.

PEMBROKESHIRE County Council’s Pollution Control Team confirmed they were alerted yesterday afternoon to sewage surrounding a manhole cover on the site. The Herald understands that officers immediately notified Welsh Water (DCWW) network technicians to investigate the incident “as a matter of urgency”.

County councillor Jonathan Grimes, who represents Pembroke St Mary South and Monkton, said the authority had been clear that it holds no enforcement powers over Welsh Water assets.

“Whilst we work constructively with Welsh Water, we have no authority to intervene on their apparatus or to carry out enforcement action against them for such pollution incidents,” the Pollution Control Team said in a statement shared with the councillor.

Urgent works underway

Council officers visited the site on Wednesday morning alongside contractors and Welsh Water technicians to assess clean-up options. According to the team, works will include cleaning the contaminated ground in and around the manhole cover and fencing off the affected area “until safe”.

Cllr Grimes said officers would return to the scene on Thursday to check on progress and ensure the area is properly secured.

Residents who notice any further issues have been urged to contact the Pollution Control Team directly.

Further updates are expected later this week.

Local Government

Pembrokeshire Council faces backlash over £2.5m housing ‘buying spree’

Published

1 hour ago

December 4, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Critics say policy inflates numbers while new-build programme stalls

PEMBROKESHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL is under growing pressure over its multi-million-pound programme of buying back former council houses, with critics warning that the strategy gives the illusion of progress while long-promised new-builds remain stuck on the drawing board.

The latest criticism comes from Milford Haven councillor Mike Stoddart, who has accused the authority of “standing still” by funnelling Housing Revenue Account (HRA) cash into purchasing properties that were once part of the council’s own stock.

Stoddart said the council’s approach “doesn’t increase the housing stock – it merely moves people from the private sector into the public sector”.

He added: “It would be much better if the money was spent on building anew.”

A temporary fix that became permanent

The buy-back scheme began in 2017 when the council adopted a new inflation-linked rent regime that delivered sizeable HRA surpluses. At the time, officers described buying ex-council homes on the open market as a “stop-gap” measure until the new-build programme ramped up.

But that programme has repeatedly faltered. Major schemes in Johnston and Tiers Cross have been hit by cost overruns of around 66%. In Milford Haven, new flats on Charles Street are costing close to £300,000 each for a one- or two-bed unit, before adding land costs, architects’ fees and planning expenses.

***Unhappy with the council’s home-buying spree: Cllr Mike Stoddart***

Stoddart said the pattern amounted to a “disaster”, arguing that buying existing homes had become the authority’s default option. “It gives the impression of making progress while actually standing still,” he said.

Brownfield sites left idle

In Stoddart’s own ward, three former school sites have stood empty since 2018. Their redevelopment is not expected to begin until 2027 or 2028. Meanwhile, the council’s purchasing programme has accelerated.

A Cabinet report for late 2025 shows more than £2.5 million spent on acquisitions in just the first half of the year.

The most striking deal was a bulk purchase of five homes in Harcourt Close, Hook, for £1.851 million — almost £400,000 each. Stoddart said the developer would think “all his birthdays have come at once”, with the council avoiding estate agents’ fees, reducing legal costs and allowing the seller to immediately stop paying interest to the bank.

Thirteen high-value purchases

All properties were bought for over £100,000 and moved into the council’s HRA stock:

Address	Location	Price	Completion
32 Southdown Close	Pembroke	£115,000	29/07/2025
8 Hyfrydle	Letterston	£115,000	01/08/2025
6 Precelly Place	Milford Haven	£120,000	22/09/2025
50 Heywood Court	Tenby	£125,000	02/10/2025
33 Croft Avenue	Hakin, Milford Haven	£130,000	20/10/2025
7 Hyfrydle	Letterston	£135,000	05/09/2025
18 St Clements Park	Freystrop	£140,000	14/07/2025
55 College Park	Neyland	£140,000	28/10/2025
26 Baring Gould Way	Haverfordwest	£146,000	15/08/2025
25 Station Road	Letterston	£170,000	10/10/2025
16 Woodlands Crescent	Milford Haven	£283,000	31/10/2025
26 & 27 Harcourt Close	Hook	£744,000	22/10/2025
23, 24 & 25 Harcourt Close	Hook	£1,107,000	30/07/2025

All purchases were made from HRA reserves with no borrowing, a point the council highlights as prudent financial management.

Fears over market distortion

Stoddart also warned that the authority’s deep pockets may be pricing out young families by outbidding first-time buyers for entry-level homes. “If classical economic theory is to be believed, it’s forcing up the price,” he said.

House prices in Pembrokeshire have risen around 15% in the past year, according to recent ONS data. Local estate agents, speaking anonymously, told this newspaper that council intervention “definitely nudges prices upward” in hotspots like Hook, Neyland and Milford Haven.

Council defends strategy

A council spokesperson said the approach was necessary to deliver homes “immediately” amid chronic shortages.

“Acquiring existing properties allows us to respond quickly to housing need,” they said. “New-builds remain a priority, but delays in planning, construction and funding mean we must use all available tools to meet demand. All purchases represent value for money and are compliant with our HRA strategy.”

Housing charity Shelter Cymru took a different view, arguing that “recycling stock is not a substitute for expansion”. The charity says Pembrokeshire needs around 500 new affordable homes a year to meet demand.

‘Residents deserve homes, not headaches’

Social housing waiting lists in Pembrokeshire now exceed 2,000 applicants. With another Cabinet briefing due later this month, Stoddart says he will push for a fundamental rethink.

“It’s time to stop standing still,” he told this newspaper. “Our residents deserve homes, not headaches.”

News

Angle RNLI launch stood down after false distress beacon alert

Published

2 hours ago

December 4, 2025

Tom Sinclair

ANGLE RNLI were paged at 10:47am this morning after an EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) was triggered on a local fishing vessel in the Dale Roads area.

Dale Coastguard Rescue Team was also tasked to investigate the alert.

As the lifeboat crew prepared to launch, further checks by HM Coastguard — along with direct contact from the vessel’s skipper — confirmed the beacon had been activated accidentally.

With no-one found to be in difficulty, the launch was cancelled.