Sean Bowen Saturday rides blog: 'I think this race could end up being the best thing for him'

Sean Bowen has five rides at Newbury on Saturday, February 7, 2026. The Coral ambassador previews them all in his latest blog.

• Kapal Layar - Newbury - 1.35 race odds

• Haiti Couleurs - Newbury - 2.10 race odds

• Libberty Hunter - Newbury - 2.45 race odds

• Go Dante - Newbury - 3.20 race odds

• Pour Les Filles - Newbury - 3.55 race odds

1.35 Newbury – Kapal Layar

I start the day on Kapal Layar, who was in decent form last season. He hasn’t quite shown that level yet this time around, but I still thought he was nicely handicapped at the end of last year. He’s had a run under his belt now, which should have sharpened him up, and hopefully he can get back to something like the form he showed last season.

2.10 Newbury – Haiti Couleurs

It was obviously frustrating last week, as pretty much everything that could go wrong ahead of his trip for the Irish Gold Cup, did go wrong. That said, I think this race could end up being the best thing for him. He’s only got a short trip to Newbury this time, the ground shouldn’t be as bad, and it will be a nicer prep run as we build towards the Gold Cup.

L’Homme Presse is our biggest rival here. He ran a good race at Cheltenham last time in the Cotswold Chase, and he is a good marker for us ahead of the Gold Cup. I am really excited for this ride, and hopefully, we can head to Cheltenham with another victory behind him.

2.45 Newbury – Libberty Hunter

Libberty Hunter can be a little hit-and-miss with his jumping, but on his day he’s a very good horse. There are some strong runners in this, with Lulamba looking the one to beat, but if my horse puts his best foot forward and jumps cleanly, I think he’s capable of giving them all a good race. Harry Cobden normally rides him, but he is on board the JP McManus-owned runner, Meetmebythesea. It is a great spare ride to pick up in a Grade Two contest.

3.20 Newbury – Go Dante

Go Dante has been very good to me over the last year or so and has given me a couple of nice winners. He’s obviously higher in the handicap now than when he’s featured in this race before, and is near the top of the weights, which wouldn’t have been the case in the past.

One thing that will definitely suit him is the very soft ground. He’ll absolutely love it. If there is a strong gallop, it will play into his strengths. It’s a competitive race, but hopefully things will fall right for him.

3.55 Newbury – Pour Les Filles

Pour Les Filles made a brilliant chasing debut at Ffos Las, and I was really pleased with his jumping. One of Evan Williams’ horses came down, and it was hard to say whether I had him beaten at that stage, but he did everything right. He should improve for that run, and I think he’s well capable of running a nice race here.

View the latest horse racing odds and specials.

All odds and markets correct as of date of publication.