Top jockey Sean Bowen narrowly escapes serious injury after fall that nearly crushed his skull

Top jump jockey Sean Bowen narrowly escaped serious injury after a dramatic fall at Fontwell on Wednesday, May 8, 2024.

Bowen, who finished as the runner-up in last season’s jump jockeys championship with 157 winners, had a heart-stopping moment during a novices’ handicap hurdle at the Sussex track.

Riding Princess Unique, trained by his father Peter and brother Michael, Bowen’s mount seemed hesitant approaching the first flight.

As Princess Unique took off unexpectedly, Bowen was thrown off, landing on his side and rolling into the path of the following horse, Hey Day Baby.

Miraculously, Hey Day Baby’s legs missed Bowen’s head by mere millimeters as she cleared the flight.

Sky Sports Racing presenter Mick FitzGerald remarked that Bowen was “literally millimeters away from crushing his skull.”

Despite the terrifying fall, Bowen managed to rise to his feet and walk away. He opted out of his mounts at Huntingdon on Thursday but is expected to return to racing at Market Rasen on Friday, May 10.

“I am all good,” said Bowen on Thursday. “I am a little bit sore but I am hoping I will be all right for tomorrow.

“The horse has never been in that situation before and was spooking and she dropped me. I was lucky I didn’t get a kick to the head. I got a kick to the shoulder instead. Thankfully it wasn’t my head.”

He added: “It’s horse racing and we all get falls. Sometimes they can be a lot worse than they are. I was lucky it wasn’t my head and it was just my shoulder, We live to fight another day.”