Sean Bowen Cheltenham Festival 2025 day two blog

Day two of Cheltenham Festival 2025 on Wednesday sees Sean Bowen have four rides, all of which he previews in his latest exclusive blog with Coral.

He started the season well with a victory at Bangor, but he has failed to reproduce that run in two starts since then. He also has some decent form at Cheltenham, as he was second here in a handicap contest on Trials Day in 2023. If he is to be in the mix in what is arguably the most competitive race of the week, he will need to improve.

He ran well in the Grand National last year but didn’t quite stay the trip. He hasn’t been in form at all this season, but the benefit there is he is now off a nice mark. He is only eight years old, so he is not a horse you could say is past it. Hopefully, the Cross Country Course will bring a spark out of him again.

I’ve had some success around the Cross Country Course before, so this is a race I enjoy riding in. That is not a view completed shared in the Jockeys’ Room. When you have a good one in this race, I find it very enjoyable.

He is a horse who runs well fresh, which is why he has not featured since December. He won first time out this season and then finished second behind L’Eau du Sud in a Grade Two contest at Cheltenham. I didn’t ride him last time at Ascot, but that was obviously a bad run. If he runs to his best, he is capable of finishing in the placings here. 

He has some good form in bumpers in Ireland. He was second behind Kalypso’chance on his last start and he is one of the favourites for this race. We are a big price in the betting, but there have been some price winners of this race over the years. There are lots of unexposed horses in this field, but I like to think my horse has a good level of form to be competitive.

I think Jonbon is going to take a world of beating. I know there are some concerns about his Cheltenham record, but he hasn’t done a lot wrong there. He has been faultless this season.

If there is a horse in this field that can put Jonbon to the test, it is Solness, especially if he is able to get out in front and wing the fences like he did at Leopardstown at the Dublin Racing Festival. It all depends on how easily he can dictate the race from the front.

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