Yes, Sir Peter Bowen Take's The Stand

Responsible for numerous 'fans favourites' such as SWANSEA BAY, MR ED, BALLYCASSIDY, MCKELVEY, TAKE THE STAND, SNOOPY LOOPY & YES SIR, Pembrokes trainer PETER BOWEN is someone who can be relied upon to train his fair share of winners each season.

Situated deep in the Welsh countryside Bowen maybe does not train many superstars at his Little Newcastle yard but he does show consistent trends that us punters can profit from.

But where do these trends exist?

Which tracks does he regularly plunder?

Which tracks is he likely to leave empty handed?

What time of year to his runners thrive the most?

Which pilots should we pay close attention to and which ones should we avoid?

Let's find out.........

TRACKS

Folkestone

The opposite end of the country for Bowen but if he is willing to make the trip there is a good chance he will land the spoils - 

11 runners | 5 winners | 45% S/R | +£12.95 LSP

The runners are few and far between and the stats tell us that Bowen does not like making the trip unless he thinks his runner has an excellent chance.

Hereford (All race types except non-handicap hurdles)

57 runners | 11 winners | 19% S/R | +£41.35 LSP

Slightly closer to home for Bowen and if we remove his non-handicap hurdlers we see his runners operate at a solid level.

* Non-handicap hurdlers at Hereford are 0/27

Sedgefield

39 runners | 11 winners | 28% S/R | +£10.98 LSP

Solid figures but we can dramatically improve them if we only look at the yards runners in non-handicap races - 

16 runners | 8 winners | 50% S/R | +£19.98 LSP

A 50% strike-rate is not to be sniffed at.

Aintree

Despite not being one of the major yards in the country their runners show up remarkably well in handicap hurdles run at the Liverpool track - 

38 runners | 11 winners | 29% S/R | +£29.83 LSP

Handicap hurdles at Aintree are generally competitive affairs but the stats suggest Bowen targets these races and targets them well.

The following tracks are ones I would approach the Bowen runners with a great deal of caution - 

Taunton

24 runners | 0 winners | 0% S/R | -£24.00 LSP

*Only 4 runners have placed

Doncaster

21 runners | 0 winners | 0% S/R | -£26.00 LSP

*Only 4 runners have placed

Ascot

25 runners | 1 winner | 4% S/R | -£8.00 LSP

*Only 4 runners have made the top 3

Kempton

23 runners | 1 winners | 4% S/R | -£19.75 LSP

*Only 4 runners have made the top 3

Wincanton

42 runners | 2 winners | 5% S/R | -£34.88 LSP

*12/42 (29%) have actually failed to finish their race

Cheltenham

An overall record of 5/81 (6% S/R) isn't great but considering how competitive the racing at the track is I suppose for a yard with limited firepower 5/81 is not too bad. However, if we look at only the yards hurdle runners at the track we do see a strong negative trend - 

30 runners | 0 winners | 0% S/R | -£30.00 LSP

*Only 3 have actually run into a place

Bowen's recent Cheltenham Festival record is also starting to look poor - 

22 runners | 0 winners | 0% S/R | -£22.00 LSP

*Only 1 runner from the 22 has placed although it was TAKE THE STAND finishing 2nd in the 2005 Gold Cup!

JOCKEYS

Tom O'Brien

Tom O'Brien picks up a vast amount of rides for the yard but it's difficult to pinpoint profitable angles. However, if we dig a bit there is one angle that turns a decent strike-rate and level stakes profit - 

Bowen/O'Brien - Handicap hurdles at 2m5f or further - SP 10/1 or less

88 runners | 22 winners | 25% S/R | +£30.70 LSP

As I mentioned you have to dig a little but with 1 in 4 of these rides winning it worth taking the time to look.

 Richard Johnson

Johnson takes his fair share of rides for the Bowen team and the overall stats actually make for not bad reading - 

143 runners | 34 winners | 24% S/R | -£2.41 LSP

LSP shows a small loss but 24% strike-rate tells us it's a partnership we should look closer at. I did touch upon this combo in my last post but this time I want to solely concentrate on the 2 when they team up in bumpers -  

17 runners | 5 winners | 29% S/R | +£5.25 LSP

What is even more impressive is the top 3 strike-rate of the combo in bumpers - 14/17 have made the top 3 for an astonishing 82% top 3 bumper strike-rate!!

The next 2 jockeys are 2 that struggle to get the Bowen runners home in front - 

Oliver Dayman

52 runners | 2 winners | 4% S/R | -£28.00 LSP

Bowen has not used the young jockey much in recent months and with figures like the above it's not hard to understand why.

Christian Williams

76 runners | 4 winners | 5% S/R | -£65.52 LSP

Poor return from Williams on the Bowen horses and again this is another jockey that the yard have not used in recent seasons. However, should the partnership be rekindled anytime soon it would pay to steer well clear of them.

MONTHS

May

The season may be winding down for a majority of yards but at this time of year but in Pembrokeshire they are just starting to warm up - 

225 runners | 47 winners | 21% S/R | +£44.08 LSP

The stats tell us this is when the yard are at their most potent especially when we look at their runners that contest non-handicap races - 

95 runners | 25 winners | 26% S/R | +£49.93 LSP

July

Further on into the summer and we still find the yard operating at a consistent level. This time around it is their handicappers we should be concentrating on - 

120 runners | 22 winners | 18% S/R | +£93.46 LSP

On the flip side the yards runners really seem to struggle when we are in the depths of winter - 

December

159 runners | 8 winners | 5% S/R | -£82.90 LSP

January

162 runners | 16 winners | 10% S/R | -£54.20 LSP

In short the months angle reads - Summer = YES | Winter = NO

The Bowen yard offer up plenty of positive and negative angles for us to explore and exploit and we really should be taking advantage of these angles when the situation arises.

Ben (NTF)