Champions crowned in the inaugural Racecourse Association summer jumps championship
- Sean Bowen, James Owen, James Moffatt and Bill Hawkins crowned category winners at the RCA Summer Jump Championship finale at Newton Abbot Racecourse.
- Owners, Trainers and Jockeys show strong levels of support for the Championship and Summer Jumps Racing.
- Charity donations made to Alder Hey Children’s Charity, The Injured Jockeys Fund and the RNLI.
The Racecourse Association (RCA) crowned the inaugural winners in the RCA Summer Jumps Championship at Newton Abbot Racecourse on Friday 19th September.
The Championship, developed by the RCA with support from its membership and wider industry organisations, created a clear, recognisable narrative for the summer jumps season and celebrated the spectacle and the venues which host it. Starting at Cartmel Racecourse on Saturday 24th May, owners, trainers and jockeys competed across four categories, each offering a bonus £7,500 prize in addition to existing prize money available across the period.
After a competitive summer of racing, the category winners were:
Leading Summer Jockey: Sean Bowen
Leading Summer Trainer: James Owen
Leading Summer Small Trainer: James Moffatt
Leading Summer Owner: Bill Hawkins
With consistent winners throughout the summer, Sean Bowen was the runaway winner in the Leading Summer Jockey category, beating Brian Hughes into second place by over 300 points. Bowen, who attended the championship finale even though he didn’t have a ride on the card, decided to split his £7,500 prize between the Alder Hey Children’s Charity and The Injured Jockeys Fund.
Speaking at the finale, Bowen said “The RCA Summer Jumps Championship was something we were all excited about when it was announced.
“Summer jump racing is vitally important. Trainers can’t afford to shut down through the summer and it’s the same for jockeys, so summer jumps is equally as important as the winter to be honest.
“I’d definitely like to see the championship continue, I think it’ll only make summer racing more competitive. It means a lot to win this title and it’s something I’d love to win again next year.”
James Owen, winner of the Leading Summer Trainer title, said “It’s great to win it, we had a really good summer and we’re looking forward to the winter jumpers now.
“The Championship is definitely a good thing. There’s a need for summer jumping and the tracks have done a brilliant job all season. My owners have enjoyed the last few months, as have I, and it gives horses a good opportunity to race and progress. I think the summer jumps has been competitive and well supported so the Championship is a step in the right direction.”
After a successful season at Cartmel Racecourse, James Moffatt took home the Leading Summer Small Trainer title. This, along with the considerable prize money on offer from Newton Abbot, encouraged him to make the 650-mile round trip from Cumbria to Devon and have his first ever runner at Newton Abbot on finale day.
Moffatt said “We came into 2025 from a low point, we had an awful winter with a virus running through the yard. We’re only a small operation so when you get a virus like that you’re only two or three owners away from losing staff and struggling to pay the bills.
“The Championship has been an amazing incentive for us, the publicity around it puts us in a really strong place. I’m going to divide the prize money equally amongst the team, they’ve worked so hard and I’m incredibly proud of all seven of them. Things were looking bleak for us in January, for our little yard it’s almost like Lazarus, it means an awful lot.”
The Leading Summer Owner category went down to the wire, with the top 5 owners separated by just five points heading into the finale. Bill Hawkins, the eventual category winner, purchased two horses in the week of the finale in order to try and win it, and ended up doing so by winning the first race at Newton Abbot on the day, beating legendary racehorse owner J.P. McManus to the Leading Summer Owner title in the process.
Speaking after his victory Hawkins said “I’ve put a lot of effort into the Championship. Being a small owner, it means a lot to win something like this. I’d never have dreamed of beating J.P. McManus in something when I first started racing, seeing us on level points heading into the finale I thought, I’ve got to beat him, I’m never going to beat him at anything else!
“I’d certainly try and win it again next year, like I say I’m not a big owner, I’ve not got millions of pounds, I try to buy £10-15k horses and make them pay for themselves. This is a big initiative that you’ve put on to make it all worthwhile for us.”
After his victory presentation, Hawkins confirmed that he would donate a portion of his prize to the RNLI, where his daughter works, and put the rest towards his horses’ training fees.
On the Championship, Kevin Walsh, RCA Racing Director, said “The RCA has been delighted with the response to the inaugural RCA Summer Jumps Championship. It has provided a stronger narrative to the summer jumps period and given racecourses, participants and racing fans something to promote and follow throughout the summer. It is particularly pleasing that, as was the intention, stable staff and racing-related charities have been the key parties to have benefitted from the initiative.
“This has been a different venture for the RCA, but the support and engagement we’ve seen from owners, trainers and jockeys has been hugely encouraging as we look to plan beyond Year 1 and showcase summer jump racing in the future.”