James Owen’s pursuit of the prize money on offer in Arena Racing Company’s £1 Million Bonus Scheme last season earned him a second place finish in the trainers’ championship with 46 winners – and a total windfall for his owners of more than £140,000.
No surprise, then, that the progressive Newmarket trainer is targeting more rich pickings now Season 13 of the All-Weather Championships is underway with a team of horses laid out and purchased specifically for the job.
Last season Owen had three top 10 finishers in the Horse of the Year competition. Fourth placed Come On John scooped £45,000 while the prolific Overnight Oats in sixth won his owners £40,000 and 10th placed Khangai a further £30,000.
Another serial winner High Court Judge, who was 15th, picked up £18,500 for his owner as well as a further £7,000 for sharing the spoils in the January Horse of the Month table.
“The Bonus Scheme has been a fantastic innovation,” he says. “We’ve learned a lot from the way we campaigned our horses last winter which should stand us in good stead this time around.
“The additional £150,000 that ARC have put into the Bonus pot and the new points system that rewards more horses for their consistency make it an even better competition.
“Last season my owners followed it avidly, keeping an eye on the league tables day by day to monitor their own horses’ performances as well as other people’s. It’s created a lot of new interest and involvement in All-Weather racing.”
With many of his key performers scaling the ratings last term, Owen is relying on revitalising a team of well-handicapped, hand-picked performers from other stables, some of them recruited from Ireland.
Ryan Tongue, whose Deva Racing syndicates owned Come On John and Khangai, has been instrumental in identifying much of Owen’s fresh talent, scrutinising the sales catalogues for those lowly rated types that haven’t yet fulfilled their potential.
Owen’s strike rate for Deva was a remarkable 25.71 per cent last season while his record for the Rogue’s Gallery syndicates was an impressive 22.64 per cent. Most of his success was achieved at Southwell where over 21 per cent of his runners were first past the post.
This season the majority will be ridden by experienced jockey Pat Cosgrave, who is basing himself in Newmarket this season for the first time in 10 years after becoming a regular winner in the Middle East each winter. “Pat comes in to ride out on a regular basis which is a great help so will ride most of mine,” adds Owen.
“Last winter Hector Crouch did a great job for me and will hopefully help us again, together with Sean D. Bowen and Paddy Bradley, who will ride most of the Deva horses. I also have talented apprentice Mason Paetel but I’m keen to send him to America to keep most of his 5lb claim intact for next year.”
Here, Owen nominates a dozen horses to follow in Season 13 to Simon Mapletoft of attheraces.com.
