Sean Bowen blog: ‘He’d go there with a chance’
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Following this week’s Cheltenham Festival races, the latest Sean Bowen blog with Coral previews the jockey’s rides at Kempton on Saturday.
Sean Bowen blog
He’s actually a nice horse Western Zephyr, and I remember winning a bumper on him at Huntingdon a few years ago, but he then struggled in that good bumper at the Grand National meeting. He tends to run his best races fresh, so although he started the season off with a couple of good runs, he really has disappointed on his last few starts.
The handicapper hasn’t really relented with his mark, but he has had a little bit of a break, and if he was able to return to his best form, then he’d go there with a chance.
I’ve never ridden Alien Storm before so I don’t know too much about him, but Charlie Longsdon’s horses have been running well, so hopefully he can continue in that vein. He’d definitely look well handicapped on some of his best form, so if he can jump with a bit more fluency here, then hopefully he’ll go well in the first-time tongue-tie.
She was supposed to run at Cheltenham in the Ultima on Tuesday, but the ground just got far too testing for her, so she was a non-runner on the day in the end. The ground at Kempton should be much more suitable for her, and I schooled her earlier in the week, and I’ve never seen her looking so well.
It’s a competitive race with some nice horses in opposition, but she comes into it in really good form, and she could be a mare with a bit more to come, so I’d be very hopeful she won’t be too far away.
She’s another horse I don’t know tonnes about as this will be the first time I’ve ridden her, but she seemed to show a really good attitude to get off the mark at Huntingdon last time. This does look a deeper race, and she will find this tougher under a penalty, but she is very unexposed, and she could take another step forward here.
Dad’s runner Statuario is a very nice horse, but he has been off the track a long time. He was in really good form when we last saw him back in 2022, but I’d be worried three miles might just stretch his stamina, and after so long off the track, I’d say he’ll take a big step forward from whatever he does this weekend.
Secret Des Dieux makes his second start on the racecourse this weekend, and I’d say we’ll be hoping he’s learned plenty from that first outing at Fakenham last month. He did race very keenly that day, so hopefully he’s learned to settle a bit better, and although I’m sure he’ll go off a big price here, James Owen’s horses always needs respecting.
