Way Maker

His first win came at Bangor-on-Dee in July 2025, where by all accounts he made it look easy. What happened next is the more telling part of the story. Bowen brought him back quickly to Stratford-on-Avon in August — perhaps too quickly, by the trainer's own admission — and Way Maker wasn't fully right heading into the race. He won anyway. Winning when you're not at your best, against horses who are, is what separates a promising horse from a good one. Bowen put it simply: you've got to be quite a good horse to do that.

The plan after Stratford was to aim him at a £100,000 race at Newbury — one of the richer and more prestigious days on the calendar — and Way Maker didn't deliver there, finishing down the field. That 11th-place finish sits in his recent record like a splinter, flanked by two wins on either side, and it raises an obvious question about whether the big occasion got to him or whether the standard simply found him out on the day. Bowen is measured about it: disappointing, yes, but the future is still exciting.

With 51 winners sent out this season, Bowen's yard is clearly in fine form, and they've shown they know when to be patient with a horse like this. Way Maker's overall record — two wins and four places from five races, meaning he has finished in the top three in every race he has completed bar that Newbury run — suggests a horse who is consistent and competitive. He raced just yesterday, so this story is still very much unfolding.