Welsh Trainers in Contention for British Trainers’ Championship This Season
The 2024/25 National Hunt season is in full swing in Great Britain, with the British Trainers’ Championship already painting a picture about who will be in contention for the title at the end of the campaign.
Here is a look at three trainers from Wakes who are in contention for the prize this season.
Peter and Michael Bowen
Father and son partnership Peter and Michael Bowen have made an excellent start to the 2024/25 season. They have already had over 20 winners and look set to pass the £200,000 prize money barrier by the end of 2024.
The Pembrokeshire-based duo will need to overcome the defending champion Willie Mullins in the Trainers’ Championship this season. If you are placing a bet on horse racing and plan to back the Irishman, he is the 13/8 favourite to defend his crown. The Bowen team have an early advantage of the Closutton trainer, but they will be fully aware that Mullins will send more horses across to the UK as the season advances.
As the racing results show, Statuario has been Bowens’ most successful horse in the early stages of the British Jumps season. He has prevailed in two of his three races so far, with both of his two wins coming at Perth. The second of those triumphs was in the Group Three Perth Gold Cup.
Evan Williams
With over 1,000 winners since he picked up his licence, Evan Williams is one of Wales’ most successful horse racing trainers in history. His biggest success to date came in the 2020 Welsh Grand National when Secret Reprieve prevailed at Chepstow in the marathon contest.
Williams will be plotting another shot at the Welsh Grand National this year. The race in late December is worth £150,000 to the winner, so victory would shoot him up the Trainers’ Championship standings.
The Glamorgan-based trainer will have high hopes for Libberty Hunter this season. The hurdler showed as a novice in the 2023/24 campaign that he belongs at the highest level in the sport. His opening run is likely to come at Cheltenham’s Open Meeting in November.
Christian Williams
No Welsh trainer has had as much success as Christian Williams over the last three seasons. He has had major wins in the Welsh Grand National, Scottish Grand National, Eider Chase and Sandown Gold Cup.
Source: Pixabay
Williams has a reputation for doing well in staying handicap chases. His horses always seem to excel in long distance races over fences. Kitty’s Light, Potters Corner and Win My Wings are just some of the horses that have won big races for the Welshman.
One of the big targets this season for Williams will be Grand National at Aintree. He finished fifth in the race in 2024 when Kitty’s Light stayed on strongly to pick up some big prize money in the contest won by I Am Maximus. The race in Liverpool often has a big say on who wins the British Trainers’ Championship, as we saw back in April when Mullins prevailed to jump to top of the standings.
All three of the above Welsh trainers will be hoping they go into the final fixture of the season in April still in contention to lift the trophy at the end of the meeting.
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Header image credit: Pixabay