Joe Tizzard & Sean Bowen Saturday Blog | Cheltenham Trials Day
23 Jan 2026
Coral Racing Ambassadors, Joe Tizzard and Sean Bowen, preview their runners and rides on what is set to be a scintilating day of action at Cheltenham for Festival Trials Day.
JOE TIZZARD: 'HE'S A LOVELY YOUNG HORSE AND ONE WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT'
13:15 Cheltenham – Triple Trade
Triple Trade has enjoyed himself since stepping up in distance and I’ve been really pleased with what he has been showing at home recently. He’s not the youngest in the field, but this looks like a very suitable race for him.
It’s a strong contest, as you’d expect for the prize money, but I’ll be disappointed if he’s not right in the mix. He’s thriving at the moment and this feels like a good opportunity for him to show that on the track at a big meeting.
16:10 Cheltenham – Kripticjim
Kripticjim is horse I’ve always liked, and he just keeps on improving. He’s been in excellent form, with solid performances at Windsor, Ascot and Newbury, and this is very much the next step for him. The race is competitive, but not over the top, with a sensible number of runners, and the conditions should suit him well.
He was a proper progressive horse in bumpers last season and has carried that on over hurdles, winning at Newbury under a penalty told us plenty about him as that’s never easy to do and he did it well. I think he stays strongly, and, over time, I can see him stepping up in trip. This run will give us a clearer idea of where we’re heading next, whether that’s a Cheltenham Festival route or something like the EBF Final later on. He’s a lovely young horse and one we’re excited about.
SEAN BOWEN: 'HE'S PROGRESSING NICELY AND I'M EXCITED TO SEE HOW HE HANDLES CHELTENHAM'
12:05 Cheltenham – Barlovento
Barlovento heads to Cheltenham after producing a really strong performance at Kempton last time out. I was disappointed not to win on him the first time I rode him, but he more than made up for it on his latest start when he jumped and travelled beautifully.
He’s a lovely horse and very much one for the future, but hopefully there’s still a bit left in the tank for Saturday. He’s progressing nicely and I’m excited to see how he handles Cheltenham.
12:40 Cheltenham – Sonic Pioneer
I ride Sonic Pioneer in the juvenile hurdle, and his win at Kempton couldn’t really have been more impressive. Unfortunately, things didn’t go to plan next time in a Grade One at Chepstow, which was obviously very disappointing. Martin Keighley has since explained there were a couple of reasons for that run, so we’re hoping he can bounce back.
It’s never easy to go into a race like this after being pulled up last time but if he can return to his Kempton form, he’s certainly capable of getting his season back on track.
13:15 Cheltenham – Booster Bob
Booster Bob ran a cracking race at Newbury and he was much more straightforward than he had been last season. He travelled well, jumped fluently, and always looked like the winner throughout the race.
If he can reproduce that level of form, I’d be hopeful he can run another big race. He’s definitely learning with experience and seems to be going the right way.
13:50 Cheltenham – Where It All Began
I’m on Where It All Began in the cross country race. I rode this horse in the Coral Welsh Grand National a couple of years ago and I thought he was going to run a huge race until he made a big mistake.
He can be very good on his day, although he does have the odd off day, but if he turns up in the right form, he doesn’t look badly handicapped. I’m hoping the switch to the cross country discipline can spark a bit of life back into him.
15:35 Cheltenham – Strong Leader
Strong Leader will need to improve to reverse his form with Impose Toi, who has beaten us the last two times. Cheltenham remains a bit of a question mark for him, as he hasn’t always looked his best around the track.
That said, he was much more straightforward last time with the cheekpieces on, and hopefully they’ll help him again here. He still has something to prove at Cheltenham, but we’re hoping for a positive step forward.
16:10 Cheltenham – The Blue Room
I finish the day on The Blue Room, who I thought ran a very good race last time and I think we could have given No Drama This End a proper race if we’d jumped the second-last better, but once we missed it, the chance was gone. He’s a lovely horse, but this is a very competitive contest and it’ll be interesting to see where he fits in against some smart opposition.
Olly Murphy also has Adonedeal in this race, who is unbeaten in two starts under Rules and I rode him to victory at Plumpton last time. He's a nice horse, but he will need to take a big step forward here.
Joe Tizzard & Sean Bowen, Coral Racing Ambassadors
JOE TIZZARD: 'HE'S A LOVELY YOUNG HORSE AND ONE WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT'
13:15 Cheltenham – Triple Trade
Triple Trade has enjoyed himself since stepping up in distance and I’ve been really pleased with what he has been showing at home recently. He’s not the youngest in the field, but this looks like a very suitable race for him.
It’s a strong contest, as you’d expect for the prize money, but I’ll be disappointed if he’s not right in the mix. He’s thriving at the moment and this feels like a good opportunity for him to show that on the track at a big meeting.
16:10 Cheltenham – Kripticjim
Kripticjim is horse I’ve always liked, and he just keeps on improving. He’s been in excellent form, with solid performances at Windsor, Ascot and Newbury, and this is very much the next step for him. The race is competitive, but not over the top, with a sensible number of runners, and the conditions should suit him well.
He was a proper progressive horse in bumpers last season and has carried that on over hurdles, winning at Newbury under a penalty told us plenty about him as that’s never easy to do and he did it well. I think he stays strongly, and, over time, I can see him stepping up in trip. This run will give us a clearer idea of where we’re heading next, whether that’s a Cheltenham Festival route or something like the EBF Final later on. He’s a lovely young horse and one we’re excited about.
SEAN BOWEN: 'HE'S PROGRESSING NICELY AND I'M EXCITED TO SEE HOW HE HANDLES CHELTENHAM'
12:05 Cheltenham – Barlovento
Barlovento heads to Cheltenham after producing a really strong performance at Kempton last time out. I was disappointed not to win on him the first time I rode him, but he more than made up for it on his latest start when he jumped and travelled beautifully.
He’s a lovely horse and very much one for the future, but hopefully there’s still a bit left in the tank for Saturday. He’s progressing nicely and I’m excited to see how he handles Cheltenham.
12:40 Cheltenham – Sonic Pioneer
I ride Sonic Pioneer in the juvenile hurdle, and his win at Kempton couldn’t really have been more impressive. Unfortunately, things didn’t go to plan next time in a Grade One at Chepstow, which was obviously very disappointing. Martin Keighley has since explained there were a couple of reasons for that run, so we’re hoping he can bounce back.
It’s never easy to go into a race like this after being pulled up last time but if he can return to his Kempton form, he’s certainly capable of getting his season back on track.
13:15 Cheltenham – Booster Bob
Booster Bob ran a cracking race at Newbury and he was much more straightforward than he had been last season. He travelled well, jumped fluently, and always looked like the winner throughout the race.
If he can reproduce that level of form, I’d be hopeful he can run another big race. He’s definitely learning with experience and seems to be going the right way.
13:50 Cheltenham – Where It All Began
I’m on Where It All Began in the cross country race. I rode this horse in the Coral Welsh Grand National a couple of years ago and I thought he was going to run a huge race until he made a big mistake.
He can be very good on his day, although he does have the odd off day, but if he turns up in the right form, he doesn’t look badly handicapped. I’m hoping the switch to the cross country discipline can spark a bit of life back into him.
15:35 Cheltenham – Strong Leader
Strong Leader will need to improve to reverse his form with Impose Toi, who has beaten us the last two times. Cheltenham remains a bit of a question mark for him, as he hasn’t always looked his best around the track.
That said, he was much more straightforward last time with the cheekpieces on, and hopefully they’ll help him again here. He still has something to prove at Cheltenham, but we’re hoping for a positive step forward.
16:10 Cheltenham – The Blue Room
I finish the day on The Blue Room, who I thought ran a very good race last time and I think we could have given No Drama This End a proper race if we’d jumped the second-last better, but once we missed it, the chance was gone. He’s a lovely horse, but this is a very competitive contest and it’ll be interesting to see where he fits in against some smart opposition.
Olly Murphy also has Adonedeal in this race, who is unbeaten in two starts under Rules and I rode him to victory at Plumpton last time. He's a nice horse, but he will need to take a big step forward here.
Joe Tizzard & Sean Bowen, Coral Racing Ambassadors
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