Jan Bowen trained three-year-olds Iron Hat and Ollie’s Secret ready to fire at Scone

Jan Bowen heads to Scone on Monday armed with a duo of up and coming three-year-old’s of considerable promise namely the Starmaker winner Iron Hat and stablemate Ollie’s Secret

Jan Bowen is set to play a strong hand at Scone on Monday

INAUGURAL Big Dance participating trainer Jan Bowen is hoping a change of luck at Monday’s Scone meeting will help restore the reputation of her one-time boom galloper Iron Hat.

A grandson of four-time champion Australian sire Snitzel, Iron Hat was regarded as one of the most exciting young horses in the Hunter Valley in the autumn before seemingly losing his way in the 2022/23 season.

Iron Hat raced four times as a two-year-old finishing third in the Wellington Boot Prelude and second in the time-honoured Romantic Dream at Tamworth.

In between, Bowen’s chestnut staged a hugely impressive win in the annual Starmaker at his home track, breaking a minute for the 1000m despite racing on a Heavy 8.

Iron Has hasn’t visited the winner’s stall since his April 1 Starmaker triumph but has been dogged by ill-fortune in pretty much all of his seven subsequent outings.

“If you look at it on paper, you would think he hasn’t done anything but they have been really good runs,’’ Bowen says.

“I have put blinkers on him on Monday and you would think they would help him so we’ll play it by ear but I expect him to run a big race.’’

Jan Bowen’s stable star Casino Kid Picture: Jenny Evans/Getty Images

Iron Hat will have company in the float from Muswellbrook to Scone in the shape of another promising and highly regarded Bowen trained three-year-old namely, Ollie’s Secret.

A virtual replica of his Cox Plate winning father, Adelaide, Ollie’s Secret sent out some seriously encouraging signs at his short, sharp first campaign which kicked off with a third in the Silver Goblet at Dubbo.

“I have got quiet a little rap on this horse but I don’t want to ‘Jonah myself’ though,’’ Bowen said.

“He is just a little home-bred and I have got big expectations with him but he has got to prove himself. He is still immature at this stage but he will develop into a really nice horse.’’

Both of Ollie’s Secrets starts as a two-year-old were at, or around, 1000m but both his pattern and pedigree strongly suggest he win run 1400m when the time comes.

Bowen’s immediate focus is on Monday’s Arrowfield Country Boosted Maiden Plate (1200m) but could be mapping out a Country Championships path for Ollie’s Secret in 2023.

“If we can get there, we’ll be there,’’ she says.

Ollie’s Secret is the first foal of his dam Don’t Tell Linda which won four of her 34 starts, two of those wins coming at Scone for Bowen with champion jockey Greg Ryan in the saddle.

Don’t Tell Linda’s value has increased significantly in a short space of time in 2019 thanks to the Group 1 win of her ‘aunt’, Begood Toya Mother in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes.

Meanwhile, Bowen’s current stable star Casino Kid is enjoying some rest and recreation at his owner’s property at Scone after winding-up his most recent lucrative campaign in the Big Dance finishing down the order but with excuses.

“He was stuck in the middle and it was like peak hour traffic in Sydney, there was nowhere to go,’’ Bowen said.