On his final week as the reigning champion jockey, Harry Cobden joined Unbridled to reflect on a “rollercoaster” season, his love of big-money winners and staying loyal to Paul Nicholls.
At Sandown on Saturday, Sean Bowen will be crowned the new champion after running away with the title race in the 2024/25 jumps season.
Cobden’s challenge never really got off the ground in the autumn as the Paul Nicholls team started below their usual lofty standards.
But, in a classic game of two halves, Cobden and Nicholls have rallied powerfully since the turn of the year, with the 26-year-old shining with some memorable winning rides, the best of the lot coming in the Scottish National aboard the Willie Mullins-trained Captain Cody.
“It’s been a rollercoaster,” Cobden said. “Early doors, Chepstow was slow for us, but I did win the Greatwood Hurdle for James Owen. We still had winners, we just weren’t operating at the same strike-rate that we’d normally have.
“It was a slow run-up until Christmas, but Cheltenham, Aintree, Ayr, even Plumpton, have all been brilliant.”
Cobden steers Willie Mullins’ Captain Cody to victory in the Scottish National
On handing over the jockeys’ title this year to Bowen, Cobden said: “I’m delighted for Sean. I thought he was very unlucky not to win it last year.
“It’s never really nice to beat someone when they’ve been on the sidelines for six weeks.
“He’s had to wait an extra year but he’s ridden brilliantly all season so if anyone deserves it, it’s him.
“He’s got a different mindset to me. I’m happy to go along and ride the quality, whereas Sean is riding 250/1 shots because he said it’ll win races in the summer.”
Sean Bowen aboard Haiti Couleurs in the Irish National
Asked what motivates him, Cobden revealed: “I love money. I’m 26 now, let’s say I’ve got five to 10 years left in my career, I want to make the most of it, grab every opportunity by both hands, ride as many winners as I can and make as much money as I can.
“Hopefully when Harry Cobden retires from race riding, he can put his feet up and move on to other things.”
With the Punchestown Festival on the horizon, Cobden is set to make the trip over to Ireland where Nicholls’ Threeunderthrufive could well meet Captain Cody.
Despite his recent success aboard Captain Cody, Cobden will not be abandoning his boss.
Cobden will ride Paul Nicholls’ Threeunderthrufive at the Punchestown Festival
“I won’t even have the conversation [about getting off Threeunderthrufive],” Cobden said. “Max McNeill is a great owner for Paul and I’m Paul’s stable jockey.
“There’s a time and place to get off Paul’s horses and Saturday is probably not the day.
“You’ve got to be loyal to the people who look after you and Saturday is one of those days where you might not be riding the best horse, but you’re doing the right thing.
“In the long run it’ll pay off.”
