The 2024/25 jumping season was certainly one to remember for racing fans: Constitution Hill fell twice, Patrick Mullins won the Grand National for his dad, Willie, and Inothewayurthinkin denied Galopin Des Champs his third consecutive Gold Cup – a roller coaster of a season that nobody could’ve predicted.
But not only were the horses the stars of the show; it was a breakout year for the Bowen brothers James and Sean, legend Rachael Blackmore put an end to an amazing 17-year career, and Paul Townend solidified himself as one of the best in the game after winning his seventh Irish champion jockey award. But what exactly stands out about this great year of racing?
When we think back to the 2024/25 season, it will be hard to forget the saddening season for hurdling legend Constitution Hill. The once unbeaten phenom suffered his first fall at the Cheltenham Festival in March and a second consecutive fall at the Aintree Festival in April. For a horse as fluent and complete as he is, it is without a doubt that his faults late in the season shocked racing fans across the country, and by the end of then, he even found himself under a new rider. Come the Punchestown festival in May, following a bad injury for jockey Nico De Boinville, trainer Nicky Henderson’s 24-year-old future star James Bowen was given the call to ride the flagship horse.
Bowen, who decided to ride for Henderson when he was only 15 years old, had already ridden some of Henderson’s best horses, Jonbon, Jango Baie, and Sir Gino, but finally earned the privilege to ride Henderson’s number one at Punchestown, Constitution Hill. James unfortunately missed out on the Cheltenham Festival due to a ban he picked up earlier in the season but had his season rescued with some big responsibilities coming in early May. Sadly, Constitution Hill didn't give James the ride he would've wanted at Punchestown, but he explained how privileged he felt to be given the opportunity to ride him: 'It's nice to know they have the confidence in you to ride such a prestigious horse.'
Much like the later part of the season went for Constitution Hill, Punchestown did not favour him, finishing fifth, ending the season with what Bowen said was a ‘confidence issue’, but believes that trainer Nicky Henderson will ‘get him back to his best’ for next season.
But amidst the mist of riding Constitution Hill, it was a great year and a great look into a very bright future for young Welshman James Bowen. With 81 wins, including some amazing rides such as Lulamba and Jeriko Du Reponet to the end of the season, Bowen has really put himself in the mix with some of the best jockeys in the jumps game. With his aim for 100 winners next season, James hopes to ‘get on some more of the big ones’, and after ending his season off with a ride on Constitution Hill, his future is looking brighter than ever.
However, aside from his own accomplishments, it was a tough season for Nicky Henderson’s number one, Nico De Boinville. Nico has ridden his fair share of great horses in his time, including Altior, Shishkin, and Sprinter Sacre, and rode a few more in the last couple of seasons. But this year in particular, some of his best didn't exactly perform when he needed them to. Some mishaps by Jonbon and Constitution Hill overshadowed his amazing ride on Jango Baie in the Arkle and led to a lot of criticism on his behalf. As social media began to erupt in uproar over Nico’s mistakes during the Cheltenham and Aintree festivals, yardmate James Bowen had his say on the situation. ‘For me, I think Nico is as good as anyone, especially on the big days. He’s got a great head on him and has his own style that punters might not like to see, but he gets the job done, and he's very good at it.' Although Nico may not have the best season, he still has an Arkle and a Christmas Hurdle to show for it and has added some more big races to his already mind-blowing resume.
Nevertheless, it was a great year all round for racing across the UK and Ireland. James’ brother Sean ran away with the Champion Jockey Championship with a staggering 166 wins across the UK and Ireland, and Willie Mullins shattered Dan Skelton’s dreams of winning the Champion Trainer Award on the final day at Sandown. Horses like Marine Nationale, Jango Baie, and The New Lion cemented themselves as true contenders for next season, and Hewick became the first Guinness-drinking racehorse. The 2024/25 jumps racing season will go down as one of the most unpredictable and one of the most revealing seasons in recent memory.
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