James Bowen seemingly resigned to missing Cheltenham with whip ban

James Bowen has yet to decide whether to appeal against the whip ban he picked up which will rule him out of the Cheltenham Festival.

Bowen was adjudged to have used his whip twice above the permitted level of seven when winning at Hereford on Sunday aboard Zestful Hope.

The seven-day ban runs from a week on Tuesday to the following Monday, and while jockeys do have the option of moving bans from the Whip Review Committee back to 14 days from the date of the race, Bowen is already banned on Sunday and Monday due to a careless riding ban from the same race.

Bowen was in line to ride one of Lulamba and Palladium in the JCB Triumph Hurdle and would have been well used by Nicky Henderson throughout the week.

Speaking at Wetherby on Wednesday, having ridden Wade Out to victory, replacing his brother, Sean, who sat out the day after a heavy fall on Tuesday he said: “It’s not ideal, but I made a mistake and I have to suffer the consequences.

“I can’t move them (the days), I’ve got until tomorrow to appeal, but whether I do or not I’m not sure yet.

“If it was one over I’d have been fine for the Festival, but unfortunately it’s gone two over so my hands are tied now.

“There would be a cost to an appeal, there are pros and cons to it either way so I’ll have to look into it, I suppose.”