A double in tandem with Douglas Whyte at Happy Valley on Wednesday night (7 May) propelled Hugh Bowman to the 60-win milestone for the 2024/25 season – and closer to a season-best tally in Hong Kong.
Bowman’s brace on Whyte-trained Goko Win and Ivy League further cemented the Australian’s second placing in the Hong Kong jockeys’ championship behind Zac Purton (104 wins), while Whyte improved his haul to 20 wins for the season.
Goko Win posted his first victory since February, 2023 under a well-executed Bowman ride in the second section of the Class 4 Chantilly Handicap (1200m). Worse than midfield after jumping from barrier one, the Love Conquers All gelding darted through a gap late to clinch his second win from 30 starts in Hong Kong.
Ivy League (135lb) fended off Thesis (133lb) by a short head in the second section of the Class 4 Saint-Cloud Handicap (1650m) to snare his third win from 35 starts in Hong Kong, despite Bowman fearing the pair had been pipped by Thesis.
“I think we got a bit lucky with the bob of the head there, I haven’t seen the replay but I wasn’t convinced I had won,” Bowman said of Ivy League, a son of Galileo who was Group 3-placed in Ireland for Aidan O’Brien before export to Hong Kong.
“He really put in for me. He was aided by a really sweet passage in the race but he was there when I needed him.
“Goko Win was down in class and I was beaten for speed but he travelled superbly and I got the gap in the straight to get the run through and he was solid.”
Bowman netted a career-high 69 winners in the 2023/24 season.