Joe Tizzard and Sean Bowen Saturday Blog | Sandown and Hereford
05 Mar 2026
Get the inside scoop from Coral Racing Ambassadors, Joe Tizzard and Sean Bowen, as they preview their runners and rides on the final Saturday before the Cheltenham Festival!
JOE TIZZARD: 'I HOPE IT'S A LOVELY OPPORTUNITY TO FOLLOW UP'
13:50 Sandown – Tennessee Tango
This is a competitive race as you’d expect for a Sandown Saturday meeting, although in effect it’s a 0-130 handicap, so we’re in it off a lovely mark of 122. His form all season has been strong, he was placed a couple of times in races that have worked out OK and then we dropped him in grade at Plumpton to give him a confidence booster, in which he duly bolted up.
We’re stepping him up in trip here, so he’ll need to show he gets 2½ miles but I think he will, as does Brendan [Powell]. Drying ground will suit him, so I think he’s got a decent each-way chance. Whatever he does here, he will be a lovely horse for next season.
14:52 Hereford – Western General
Western General won this race last year, he perhaps didn’t go on from that as we’d have hoped, so we gave him a wind op in January and he won nicely on the run that followed at Chepstow. Only three have been declared against him here so I hope it’s a lovely opportunity for him to follow up, it certainly looks a winnable contest.
SEAN BOWEN: 'I SEE NO REASON WHY HE CAN'T GO WELL'
13:50 Sandown – Scorpio Rising
Olly Murphy has two runners in both of the races I ride for him, but I didn’t really have a difficult decision to make in terms of who I ride in both. Scorpio Rising has progressed all season, winning all three of his starts, and should head here as favourite. He’s gone up 15 pounds for his last two wins, but I think he’s still progressing and I don’t know where the ceiling of his ability is. I don’t think we’re there yet, so I’m hopeful of another big performance.
Olly’s other runner, Gee Force Flyer, is a nice horse in his own right. He’s run well this year without winning, and he’ll be an outsider here, so hopefully he can outrun his odds for the team.
14:27 Sandown – Go Dante
Go Dante is a horse I love, having won the last two runnings of this race, he is an absolute dude of a horse. For some reason he absolutely loves Sandown, it's the only course he ever runs a decent race at now and I honestly don't know why it suits him so much. He won here earlier in the season, and although he has run poorly at Windsor and Newbury since, that wouldn’t bother me.
He has to carry a couple of pounds more than when he won here in December and he's five pounds higher then when he won the race last year, but he simply seems to be ten pounds better off here than he is at any other course. He loves the race and he loves the place, so I see no reason why he can’t go well.
Fingle Bridge hasn't quite taken to chasing so he's been switched back to hurdles, and despite carrying top weight here I think he could still be a well handicapped horse. He just might lack the experience needed for these big field handicaps but he's more than capable of running a big race.
16:45 Sandown – First Angel
I rode First Angel on his last run, that was a winning one at Taunton but was well over a year ago now so clearly he's had a few issues. He's a horse that tends to need his first run as well, and although there are only four runners here, a couple of them are in good form so this is not an easy looking reappearance. I’m sure he’ll improve plenty for the run, and is one to keep an eye on for his next start.
Joe Tizzard & Sean Bowen, Coral Racing Ambassadors
JOE TIZZARD: 'I HOPE IT'S A LOVELY OPPORTUNITY TO FOLLOW UP'
13:50 Sandown – Tennessee Tango
This is a competitive race as you’d expect for a Sandown Saturday meeting, although in effect it’s a 0-130 handicap, so we’re in it off a lovely mark of 122. His form all season has been strong, he was placed a couple of times in races that have worked out OK and then we dropped him in grade at Plumpton to give him a confidence booster, in which he duly bolted up.
We’re stepping him up in trip here, so he’ll need to show he gets 2½ miles but I think he will, as does Brendan [Powell]. Drying ground will suit him, so I think he’s got a decent each-way chance. Whatever he does here, he will be a lovely horse for next season.
14:52 Hereford – Western General
Western General won this race last year, he perhaps didn’t go on from that as we’d have hoped, so we gave him a wind op in January and he won nicely on the run that followed at Chepstow. Only three have been declared against him here so I hope it’s a lovely opportunity for him to follow up, it certainly looks a winnable contest.
SEAN BOWEN: 'I SEE NO REASON WHY HE CAN'T GO WELL'
13:50 Sandown – Scorpio Rising
Olly Murphy has two runners in both of the races I ride for him, but I didn’t really have a difficult decision to make in terms of who I ride in both. Scorpio Rising has progressed all season, winning all three of his starts, and should head here as favourite. He’s gone up 15 pounds for his last two wins, but I think he’s still progressing and I don’t know where the ceiling of his ability is. I don’t think we’re there yet, so I’m hopeful of another big performance.
Olly’s other runner, Gee Force Flyer, is a nice horse in his own right. He’s run well this year without winning, and he’ll be an outsider here, so hopefully he can outrun his odds for the team.
14:27 Sandown – Go Dante
Go Dante is a horse I love, having won the last two runnings of this race, he is an absolute dude of a horse. For some reason he absolutely loves Sandown, it's the only course he ever runs a decent race at now and I honestly don't know why it suits him so much. He won here earlier in the season, and although he has run poorly at Windsor and Newbury since, that wouldn’t bother me.
He has to carry a couple of pounds more than when he won here in December and he's five pounds higher then when he won the race last year, but he simply seems to be ten pounds better off here than he is at any other course. He loves the race and he loves the place, so I see no reason why he can’t go well.
Fingle Bridge hasn't quite taken to chasing so he's been switched back to hurdles, and despite carrying top weight here I think he could still be a well handicapped horse. He just might lack the experience needed for these big field handicaps but he's more than capable of running a big race.
16:45 Sandown – First Angel
I rode First Angel on his last run, that was a winning one at Taunton but was well over a year ago now so clearly he's had a few issues. He's a horse that tends to need his first run as well, and although there are only four runners here, a couple of them are in good form so this is not an easy looking reappearance. I’m sure he’ll improve plenty for the run, and is one to keep an eye on for his next start.
Joe Tizzard & Sean Bowen, Coral Racing Ambassadors
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