Harry Cobden: My thoughts on the Cheltenham November meeting and the season ahead

Blogs | 11th November 2019

Firstly, I’m delighted to join Great British Racing as an ambassador for the 2019 / 2020 Jumps season.

You can read exclusively all my news and views for the season in this blog, and there’s plenty of exciting things planned on Great British Racing’s social media channels too! Stay tuned.

Give Me A Copper

Saturday felt like the season really got started. I was overjoyed with Give Me A Copper’s win in the Badger Beers Trophy at Wincanton. He traveled beautifully into the race and we just had enough in the tank to hold off the fast finishing Soupy Soups. It was an incredible tenth win in the race for the boss Paul Nicholls too!

The action now comes thick and fast, and I’m hoping for plenty more Saturdays like that.

The November Meeting

This weekend the big action continues at Cheltenham for the November meeting which holds happy memories for me as it’s the scene of my first Graded race win in the 2015 Greatwood Hurdle with Old Guard.

I remember that day well there wasn’t much expectation so I just went out to enjoy the race and then somehow I found myself in front jumping the last, and he won really well. An amazing day and a big day for a young jockey’s career.

I know some people look for Cheltenham Festival clues when looking at the November meeting, and I feel Getaway Trump is a horse that potentially could do well in both.

He’s been great at home, in fine order, and I think he will come on a lot from finishing third in his last race. He’ll improve massively in terms of fitness and I think he’s got a really good chance at the November Meeting.

Getaway Trump and Harry Cobden winning at Sandown

Three To Follow this season

My top three horses to follow this season are Clan Des Obeaux, Cyrname and Dynamite Dollars.

Clan Des Obeaux was in the Grade 1 Ladbrokes Champion Chase at Down Royal a week or so ago and he ran an absolute blinder finishing second. I think he’s improved from last season and has got a massive chance in the King George on Boxing Day and hopefully the Cheltenham Gold Cup after that.

Cyrname is in great form, he’ll run on the 23rd November at Ascot in the Grade 2 Christy 1965 Chase. He’ll probably be taking on Altior in what would be one of the best races of the season. He’s going extremely well at home. I schooled him the other day and was really pleased with him, although I don’t sit on him often as he’s quite strong!

Dynamite Dollars is another top horse. He has just come back into work after a slight injury at the end of last season but he looks amazing. Fingers crossed he’ll be able to rediscover the ability he showed last year.

The Nicholls yard have a lot of top young horses but one that perhaps has the potential for big things this season is Time White who is owned by Andy Stewart who bought him from France. He’s a lovely big horse and seems to do everything fairly easy at home.

We have the big guns Clan Des Obeaux, Cyrname, Dynamite Dollars, Politologue etc. who are all in good form but there is a strong team behind them and the horses are starting to run really well. Morale is good in the yard, everyone’s happy, so hopefully we’ll have a good year.

With an eye on the season ahead, the one race I’d most like to win this season is the Cheltenham Gold Cup, it’s a race I’ve always wanted to win. If someone asked me Gold Cup or Grand National, I’d say Gold Cup because it’s usually the best horse in the country that wins that race. Perhaps I might get a good chance with Clan Des Obeaux.