Jockey Hugh Bowman will head to Europe for a six-week riding campaign
Bowman enjoyed great success in Europe four years back when he rode 33 winners in 2007 including Hatta Fort in the Group 2 Superlative Stakes at Newmarket.
This year Bowman will reunite with top British trainer Mick Channon.
His first-up assignment in Britain will be at the Royal Ascot in June.
“I could have went a bit earlier but I wanted to make the Stradbroke Handicap my last day,” Bowman said.
“I wanted to get the Brisbane carnival over with, I’ll only miss the Group 1 Winter Stakes.”
Before taking off, however, Bowman will seek success in Brisbane starting with four rides at Doomben 10,000 Day this Saturday.
His best ride of the day is in the $650,000 Group 1 Doomben 10,000 (1350m) where Bowman will be aboard dual Stradbroke Handicap winner Black Piranha.
Black Piranha is Hugh Bowman's best ride at Doomben on Saturday
Trainer by Con Karakatsanis, rising eight-year-old Clang gelding Black Piranha is second-up for the season on Saturday following their fifth place finish behind superstar mare Black Caviar in the Group 1 BTC Cup (1200m) a fortnight ago.
“The way the BTC Cup was run really suited him because it was a slowly run race and only really a sprint home from the 600,” Karakatsanis said.
It has been nearly 12 months since Black Piranha saluted, their last victory being in the 2010 Stradbroke Handicap.
This year following Saturday’s Doomben 10,000, Black Piranha will seek an unprecedented third successive win in Queensland’s richest sprint, the $1 million Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm on June 11, having also won the 2009 edition.
Black Piranha is a veteran of 54 starts, Bowman having partnered with the horse just once before when they finished fourth to Gai Waterhouse’s More Joyous in the Group 2 Sebring Sprint at Rosehill last September.
Rated a $41 outsider in Doomben 10,000 markets, Hay List the unchallenged $1.30 favourite, Black Piranha is due to jump from barrier four and Karakatsanis warns his warhorse isn’t a spent force just yet.
“A barrier for my bloke isn’t a great concern because he’s a back maker and I’ve got the best rider going around at the moment – Hugh Bowman,” Karakatsanis said.
“He’s pulled up well (from the BTC Cup) and coming into this Saturday you can’t count him out.
“He’s won two Group 1’s and run four Group 1 seconds.”
Bowman’s other rides on the Doomben card this Saturday are on Alma’s Fury in the $150,000 Group 3 Grand Prix Stakes (2200m), Gold Trail in the $80,000 Listed Chief De Beers (1100m) and on Michael Moroney’s resuming Tinseltown in the $125,000 Group 3 Premier’s Cup (2200m).
Saturday will be the first-up run for Pentire gelding Tinseltown since the seven-year-old fell in the Sydney Cup at Randwick on April 30.
