James Bowen gets ride on leading Grand National contender Secret Reprieve

James Bowen admits winning the Randox Grand National at Aintree on Saturday week would “not make his year, but make his life” after picking up the plum spare ride on leading contender Secret Reprieve.

The 20-year-old will make his third appearance in the world’s most famous chase after being called upon by trainer Evan Williams to partner this season’s Welsh Grand National hero in place of his regular rider Adam Wedge who will miss the meeting through injury.

It will be the second time this season that Bowen, who has ridden 32 winners this campaign, has partnered Secret Reprieve having steered him to glory in the Welsh Grand National Trial at Chepstow in December.

Bowen said: “I only got the phone call last night. Evan rang me and asked if I could do the weight (10st 1lb). There was butterflies in my stomach when I got the phone call.

"It’s very exciting and a massive confidence booster that both the owners and trainer have the confidence in you to ride a horse like that in a race like this. I’m very much looking forward to it and I must thank William and Angela Rucker (owners) for giving me the ride.

“This will be my third ride as I pulled up on Shantou Flyer in 2018 and finished ninth on Outlander in 2019. They were both outsiders so he is definitely my best chance of winning it and this is probably his year to have a go.

“Everyone who wins the Grand National is known as a Grand National-winning jockey afterwards. It would not just make my year, but it would make my life.”

Bowen believes that Secret Reprieve, who is a general 14-1 chance to prevail in the extended four and a quarter mile feature, ticks all the right boxes from what you want when looking for the perfect Grand National horse.

He said: “You could not really pick any negatives in him. He did fall at Haydock but if you watch that race back he was a bit keen and fresh. The time I rode him, which was next time out he seemed like he had learnt a lot and I think that fall might have been the making of him as he has jumped flawlessly ever since.

“I think the good to soft ground at Aintree should suit him but I think he is pretty versatile ground wise. He has had a nice break since the Welsh National and he should have a very good chance at Aintree as this is only his fourth run of the season and he is going there fit and fresh.”

Secret Reprieve needs a few more horses to come out to make the cut.

“I have always been a believer in those big handicaps what will be, will be. If those horses come out that would be fantastic and if they don’t, it wasn’t meant to be,” Williams told Nick Luck’s podcast earlier this week.

“I can’t pretend the plan was we’d end up in the Grand National, because it wasn’t. We only had the green light on Saturday that was what we would do. He’s in great form and we wouldn’t even be thinking about the race if he wasn’t.

“The reality was we had looked at Cheltenham and I thought that a couple more weeks would be of benefit to us. It was only that I had not sat down with Mr and Mrs Rucker until Saturday.

“He’s a grand horse. If I have a weakness then it is buying horses that get slower as they get older. You would say he’s old fashioned, but that is the horse I buy as a youngster and the type of horse I love dealing with.”