Mickey Bowen may be typecast as a summer jumps trainer but he will bid to take his strong early-season form into the winter when Art Of Diplomacy lines up in the 64th Badger Beers Handicap Chase (3.30).
Bowen has had 43 winners from 184 runners for a highly respectable 23 per cent strike-rate this season and is planning to keep busy in the winter months. The remarkable improver Art Of Diplomacy has contributed five to that tally and would surely have made it six but for falling at the last at Chepstow 29 days ago.
“He’s ahead of the handicapper and 137 looks a nice mark,” Bowen said. “Hopefully if his jumping holds up he’s got a great chance. It looked like he’d have won last time and it looks a nice race for him. If they go hard early on, which they should, it’ll play into his hands. We’re very happy.”
The trainer’s father Peter won a handful of major winter prizes and Bowen is hoping new members of his string can help to maintain his early momentum as the temperatures plummet.
“We love summer racing but we’d also love to have bigger chances in the winter and it looks like it’s going that way now,” he said. “Dad trained Betfair Chase and Challow Hurdle winners, so I don’t think it’s about the way we train, it’s just down to the horses we have and the cards we’re dealt.
“We’ve got a few winter horses now, so hopefully they can be successful for us. We’ve got Black Eddy, who is new to the yard, and he looks like he’d have a right chance in the Champion Bumper, so we’ll see if he goes to Cheltenham next week. We’ve also got a young horse called Nimba and Off The Jury and Queensbury Boy are new too.”