Like the rest of Petre's horses, Rowton was trained by John Scott, who sent out the winners of 41 classics, from his Whitewall Stables at Malton in North Yorkshire.

Rowton was the only classic winner sired by Oiseau (1809–1826), a horse who was undefeated in a five race career, and who stood as a breeding stallion in both Ireland and England.

He was ridden in aggressive style by Bill Scott, who made use of the whip and at one point barged another runner into the rails before Rowton won "rather cleverly" by one and a half lengths.

[7] At the St Leger meeting at Doncaster Racecourse in September, Rowton ran in the Champagne Stakes, a race which attracted many of the best two-year-olds seen in the North of England that season.

[10] Despite his lack of a recent run he was made 7/2 favourite in a field of nineteen runners which included The Derby winner Frederick and the previously undefeated colts Voltaire and Sir Hercules.

In the closing stages he was challenged by Voltaire, who had come from well back in the field, but under a "severe"[11] ride from Scott, Rowton held on to win by half a length, with Sir Hercules in third.

On 5 August he competed away from Doncaster for the first time since 1828 when he was one of four horses to contest the two-mile Great Subscription Purse for four- and five-year-olds at York.

[17] In September, Rowton appeared at the Doncaster St Leger meeting for the fourth year in succession, his target on this occasion being the Gold Cup over two miles five furlongs.

On 19 June, the opening day of the Ascot meeting, he was assigned top weight of 129 pounds in the Oatlands Stakes, a handicap race over the Gold Cup distance of two and a half miles.

Rowton accelerated into the lead and won comfortably[19] by three-quarters of a length from Paddy and The Saddler, with the 1830 Gold Cup winner Lucetta unplaced.

[23] In death, Rowton was partly returned to Yorkshire, as one of his leg bones was made into the handle of a carving knife used by John Scott in his dining room at Malton.