International Barbadian jockey Rocco Bowen made his Jamaican riding debut a weekend to remember, and he’s already counting down the days to come back.

Bowen rode at Caymanas Park over Saturday, June 27 and Sunday, June 28, 2026 for the very first time in his career. While the winners’ circle eluded him, he still left with respect, lessons, and a promise to return for Jamaica’s two biggest races.

He didn’t win any races but he did finish second aboard the Peter-John Parsard-trained Don’t Tell Lou in the opening race on Saturday.

Reflecting on his first taste of racing in Jamaica, Bowen was full of praise.

“Riding in Jamaica for the very first time it was really good. It was really fun. You know, it’s really hot. It’s hotter than Barbados and really way hotter than Cleveland, Ohio. But I had a lot of fun here, lot of respect and it was a blessed time.

“I am grateful for the opportunity and hopefully I can come back for the Diamond Mile and the Mouttet Mile,” Bowen told the Jamaica Observer’s The Supreme Racing Guide.

He was quick to salute the competition and the track he encountered.

BOWEN…I am grateful for the opportunity and hopefully I can come back for the Diamond Mile and the Mouttet Mile (Photo: Garfield Robinson)

“It was pretty solid competition. It was pretty solid horse racing. I had one second, you know, the horse didn’t break as good as I would like but when things happen like that you got to adapt really quick. That’s what good riders do and I guess I had to adapt and had to use him up a little bit to you get them in front and set him on the bit.

“But you know things happen and I got back safe and that’s number one key. And hopefully for safe playing travel back home and started all over again back in the USA,” he said.

The 7-furlong (1,400m) oval at Caymanas Park left an impression.

“Here, it’s a big, long sweeping track, a deep straight run. I like the track in Jamaica. It’s big and wide. Only thing, the post race is a little long but that’s just about it. The post race in Barbados is not that long but every place have different things and I guess you just have to adapt,” Bowen stated.

With 39 different tracks on his riding CV, Bowen is no stranger to new challenges.

“I ride at a plenty tracks, all different kind of calibre tracks. You know, I guess I love to ride and love to ride at different tracks. This is my 39th different track I rode at and I won at 36 and so I’ve been very blessed and I guess I got to continue praising God and hopefully at the end of the day I get back home safe but some days you may not, but you just got to keep safe,” he explained.

The 1,500-win milestone is now in sight. Bowen is just two wins away and hopes to hit it this week when he returns to his base in Cleveland, Ohio. Bowen, who had returned home Monday, didn’t win any race on Tuesday, but had secured three rides on Thursday’s card.

“I’ve been very fortunate. I had a lot of injuries, a lot of spills, a lot of setbacks but I had a lot of highlights, a lot of down times, a lot of struggles. But I had a lot of high moments and when I hit 1,500 it’d be a blessing,” Bowen noted.

Barbadian jockey Rocco Bowen mounts Run Ville Run for competition on Sunday, June 28, 2026. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)

Bowen’s journey started on the shoulders of his father at the Barbados Turf Club.

“My dad, my dad is a big horse fan. He took me to the racetrack in Barbados before I could have walked. I remember days he used to always get me on his shoulder and carried me until his legs got tired. Then when I got old enough that I could walk around and I used to go to the park where it’s for kids and I had pony rides. And that’s how I started,” Bowen remembered.

His Barbados stint was brief before Canada and then the United States called.

“Of course, Barbados has a racing track but I never rode it long. I only won 21 races there. Shortly after that I went to Canada and then shortly after that, that’s when I moved to the United States. I go back to Barbados every year for the Gold Cup every March,” Bowen said.

Just three weeks ago Bowen was airlifted from the track after a bad spill, but his faith and toughness saw him back in the saddle the next day.

“A horse got dropped down onto me. You know, I had six stakes races next year, a hundred thousand a piece. You know, and like I said, God is the greatest thing. And they’re always telling me that most of the time when you get airlifted you don’t remember that airplane ride.

“I remembered it because for some reason they’re airlifting me and I rode the next day. And like I said, you got to trust God as I came back safe,” Bowen ended.