John Nallen's produce still flying high with apprentice triumph for nephew Bowen 'different gravy'

"It’s different gravy" was how John Nallen compared witnessing his nephew Sean Dylan Bowen being crowned champion apprentice jockey last weekend to the great achievements of his point-to-point graduates in the past.

Everyone within point-to-pointing on these shores will have gained plenty of satisfaction from seeing the Clonmel man on hand at Catterick last Saturday as 18-year-old Bowen secured the British apprentices' championship in his first year across the Irish Sea.

Nallen himself sent a pair of horses to Haydock the previous afternoon in a bid to assist the promising 3lb claimer's efforts to hold off title rival Joe Leavy. The Clonmel man is one of the most successful producers of horses through the point-to-point game with his graduates having claimed some of the most coveted prizes in the sport. Chief among them is Minella Times, who created history with his 2021 victory in the Randox Grand National at Aintree under Rachael Blackmore, a victory that came just a matter of weeks after Minella Indo had scooped the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Even on Saturday evening, as he was making his way back from Catterick, the Minella name, equally as synonymous with his racehorses as his Clonmel hotel, was again in the headlines.

This time it was on the American Grand National card at Far Hills, when Hall of Fame trainer Jack Fisher sent out Minella Juke to win a $70,000 race on the undercard of the Grade 1 fixture. The Jukebox Jury gelding had made a successful start to his career at Dromahane in April when justifying favouritism to win a five-year-old geldings’ maiden, after which he made £140,000 at the end-of-season Goffs UK Spring sale.

Nallen was responsible for three six-figure sales in Doncaster back in May. Like Minella Juke, Minella Sixo has also already ticked off a subsequent track victory. The £115,000 purchase followed a debut Loughrea success with an eight-length Fairyhouse maiden hurdle win on his first outing for Gordon Elliott, and he is favourite for a novice hurdle at Cheltenham on Friday.

Those results certainly auger well for the prospects of that sale's headline-maker, Minella Premier. He topped the sale at £400,000 following his 12-length Ballindenisk success, with Nallen brandishing the now Nicky Henderson-trained youngster with the title of the "most impressive point-to-pointer we’ve ever produced".

Expectations are certainly high for the four-year-old to prove himself to be "different gravy".

Weekend fixtures

Saturday
Curraghmore, first race 1.00

Sunday
Tattersalls, first race 1.00
Tinahely, first race 1.00

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