Sean Bowen Cheltenham 2026 day three rides blog: 'Fact to File is a top-class horse, but we've got a good one ourselves'

• The Bluesman - Cheltenham - 2.00 race odds

• Banbridge - Cheltenham - 4.00 race odds

• Ikarak - Cheltenham - 4.40 race odds

2:00 – The Bluesman

I kick the day off on The Bluesman, and he’s a horse who hasn’t really done much wrong lately. He was quite impressive the last day at Haydock, and he seems to be progressing nicely.

This is obviously a big step up in class, and he’ll need to improve again to be competitive in a race like this. I’ll aim to ride him quite patiently, which should suit him on the New Course at Cheltenham better than the Old Course, with that long straight to run into.

If we can get him settled early and pick up the pieces late on, I wouldn’t be surprised if he could run into a place. In races like these at the Festival, if things fall right and you’re finishing strongly up the hill, anything can happen.

4:00 – Banbridge

The big ride of the day for me is Banbridge in the Ryanair Chase, and I’m really looking forward to getting back on him.

His run in the King George VI Chase at Kempton was a fantastic effort. I thought he travelled really strongly that day and his jumping was excellent. That sort of performance shows the ability he has.

The Ryanair trip and track should suit him very well. He’s a horse who travels strongly through his races, and Cheltenham’s stiff finish will play to his strengths if he’s in a good position turning for home.

Of course, Fact To File looks like the one to beat. He’s a top-class horse, but we’ve got a good one ourselves. If he turns up in the same form he showed at Kempton, he’s entitled to run a very big race.

4:40 – Ikarak

My final ride of the day is Ikarak in the Pertemps Network Final.

He’s qualified for the race by winning two of his last three starts. I rode him to victory over 3m at Ayr earlier this year and he produced an excellent run.

He’s owned by a big syndicate, so it’ll be a brilliant day out for them having a runner at the Festival. These races can be very competitive, but if he can travel well and give them a good spin around, he can give them something to cheer about.

View the latest Cheltenham Festival 2026 betting odds

All odds and markets correct as of date of publication.