Champion jockey Sean Bowen won the Royal Windsor Horse Show Cup Novices’ Handicap Hurdle on Scorpio Rising at Windsor, but faced a heated exchange with Harry Skelton afterwards. Skelton, riding the favourite Harry Lowes, claimed interference hampered his horse's chance in the race. Stewards ruled the incident accidental.
The third day of the Berkshire Winter Million fixture at Windsor featured several competitive races, but attention centred on the Royal Windsor Horse Show Cup Novices’ Handicap Hurdle. Olly Murphy’s Scorpio Rising, ridden by Sean Bowen, secured a hat-trick of wins for the season by coming with a well-timed late run to beat Top Jimmy by one and three-quarter lengths. The 3/1 chance joined the long-time leader over the last before pulling clear up the run-in.
However, controversy arose approaching the second-last flight when Bowen’s mount improved to the outside of the 11/4 favourite Harry Lowes, owned by JP McManus and ridden by Harry Skelton for trainer Dan Skelton. Harry Lowes became short of room and hampered, failing to recover and finishing well beaten in fifth. As they pulled up, Skelton quickly approached Bowen for words, appearing heated about the race-riding.
Speaking on Sky Sports Racing immediately after, Bowen defended his actions: “It was legal, of course it was. I knew Harry was going best and he was using James (Bowen, on eventual fourth Fresh Kicks) as a target just ahead of him, and I wanted to get past him fast. I got past him before he realised I was coming and then he's tried to edge out while I'm already there. There's not much more than I can do about that is there? It's race-riding, I got past him fast and he wasn't able to get out. My horse was the best on the day.”
The British Horseracing Authority stewards held an enquiry into the interference involving Scorpio Rising, Harry Lowes, Fresh Kicks (ridden by James Bowen), and Kel Du Large (ridden by Ciaran Gethings). Their report stated: “The interference was found to be accidental in that shortly after straightening in a tightly bunched field, SCORPIO RISING (IRE) who had improved to the outside of HARRY LOWES (IRE), lugged slightly left-handed as HARRY LOWES (IRE) edged right-handed off the heels of a weakening FRESH KICKS (IRE). This resulted in FRESH KICKS' (IRE) hindquarters being turned and Skelton having to take a check on HARRY LOWES (IRE) with KEL DU LARGE (FR) having to switch right off the heels of HARRY LOWES (IRE).”
Murphy praised his charge post-race: “He is a big improver and he is only going to carry on improving. It was a good performance and it hasn’t surprised me in the slightest. He is a nice horse.” The win provided relief after near-misses the previous day at the track.
