Champions day at Catterick as Sean Dylan Bowen and Joe Leavy go head-to-head in final push to claim apprentice title

Oisin Murphy's British Flat jockeys' title victory was long ago wrapped up, but the apprentice version has been much tighter.

Finally, after a season which has seen multiple changes to the lead, either Sean Dylan Bowen or Joe Leavy will be crowned champion 250 miles north from the glitz and glamour of Champions Day at Ascot.

Catterick will be where this year's future star rider will be decided as Bowen and Leavy's dramatic battle for top honours reaches its climax on the final day with the score 44-41 in Bowen’s favour.

Bowen's triumph looked virtually secured at Haydock on Friday when he put four winners between himself and Leavy with another victory before his rival struck back later on the card.

The title leader might yet lose a winner, too, as the never-ending drama of the Cesarewitch has seen Alphonse Le Grande's connections appeal his disqualification that handed Bowen victory on Manxman.

Going to Catterick, Bowen now has a three-win cushion on Leavy, who must now be successful with all four of his remaining rides to win the championship outright. He must also hope Bowen does not strike from any of his five mounts, as a winner would all but guarantee the title.

The claimers firstly clash in the aptly named Future Stars Apprentice Handicap (1.30). Bowen has the backing of William Haggas, who might keep an eye on the matters in North Yorkshire from Ascot, with Molten Sea, while Leavy partners the Patrick Neville-trained Morandi Second.

We may well know the outcome before Leavy gets the leg up on his biggest hope on the card, the Gary and Josh Moore-trained Small Fry in the 1m4f handicap (2.42), while Bowen's other mount could see him cap a title win in the feature Catterick Dash (4.45) on Je Ne Sais Quoi.

While bans and wins awarded days after the race took place have played their part in a dramatic title tussle, Bowen and Leavy have enjoyed standout campaigns in their quest to follow in the footsteps of Ryan Moore, William Buick, Murphy and last year's hero Billy Loughnane.

Despite serving a seven-day suspension in August, Bowen has consistently fired in winners to be the leader at the final furlong. Since switching from his native Ireland in the spring, there has never been a spectacular month (September was his best haul with ten winners), but he has been supremely solid to get the lead and hold on to it.

Leavy burst into contention during a red-hot August with 15 winners at a 23 per cent strike-rate to announce himself as a serious contender. He has kept himself in with a fighting chance after nine winners this month, but looks likely to fall agonisingly short.

Neither will match Loughnane's haul for his title last year, but while the cream of the crop are at Ascot, do not miss these two stars of the future having a final duel. Sean Dylan Bowen and Joe Leavy, remember their names.

Read more here:

'It's going right down to the wire' - leading apprentices prepared for title decider at Catterick on Saturday 

Connections of Alphonse Le Grande launch appeal against Cesarewitch disqualification 

'I want to have a rethink of what I want to achieve' - Oisin Murphy hints at changing priorities as he prepares to be crowned champion 

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