Top Jockey Harry Cobden’s Best Rides At The 2021 Cheltenham Festival
Harry Cobden Celebrates 2019 Cheltenham Festival victory aboard Topofthegame
2021 Cheltenham Festival Tips – Harry Cobden Best Rides
Harry Cobden is stable jockey to the powerful Paul Nicholls stable and is on target for his best season numerically. Cobden is currently pursuing Brian Hughes in the jockeys’ championship and rode his first Cheltenham Festival aboard 33-1 shot Kilbricken Storm in the 2018 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle. The following season he partnered Topofthegame to victory in the RSA Chase for Nicholls and is eager to add to his tally this season.
His racing ambition is to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup but he looks unlikely to feature in that race this year. The stable’s sole representative is likely to be King George winner Frodon who is the regular mount of Bryony Frost. Dual King George winner Clan Des Obeaux is being aimed at Aintree this season after failing to last home up the Cheltenham hill in the past two Gold Cups.
Bravemansgame (Ballymore Hurdle, Wednesday)
Cobden recently nominated Bravemansgame as his best ride at this year’s Cheltenham Festival. The six-year-old was beaten by subsequent Betfair Hurdle winner Soaring Glory on his hurdles debut but has won his next three races impressively.
His last run was in the Grade 1 Challow Hurdle at Newbury in December when beating the useful Star Gate by 10 lengths. Bravemansgame is around a 9-2 chance for the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle and is very highly regarded by connections.
Politologue (Champion Chase, Wednesday)
The second day of the Cheltenham Festival could be a big one for Cobden, who is set to partner reigning champion Politologue in the Queen Mother Champion Chase. The grey was ridden to victory by Harry Skelton last year with Cobden aboard runner-up Dynamite Dollars. That was an unsatisfactory race with odds-on favourite Defi Du Seuil running well below form and both Altior and Chacun Pour Soi withdrawn at the eleventh hour.
Cobden steps in for the ride on the ten-year-old with Skelton due to partner Nube Negra for his brother Dan. Cobden won the Tingle Creek aboard Politologue back in 2017 and rode him into second behind Altior in the 2019 Champion Chase. The combination were re-united for the Clarence House Chase at Ascot in January when beaten 7 lengths by First Flow.
Next Destination (Brown Advisory Novice Chase)
Next Destination could take on Monkfish in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase over three miles. He was a Grade 1 winner over hurdles when trained by Willie Mullins and has won two of his three races over fences.
The horse was off the track for the best part of three years before switching to Nicholls last October but clearly retains plenty of ability.
Barbados Buck’s (Albert Bartlett Hurdle, Friday)
Barbados Buck’s races in the colours of the Stewart Family, owners of the four-time Stayers’ Hurdle winner Big Buck’s. The six-year-old has improved with his racing, winning twice at Southwell before taking a Kempton novice by four lengths in January.
His target is the three-mile Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle for which he is a general 11/2 chance and will be the subject of many a bet, perhaps from punters looking to spread around their Cheltenham free bets.
Best Of The Rest
Nicholls has not got an obvious candidate for the Triumph Hurdle this season but Houx Gris has been heavily backedin the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (otherwise known as the Fred Winter). He’s had just one run since coming over from France and has been nominated by Paul Nicholls as potentially his best chance of the Festival.
Southfield Harvest has been aimed at the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle Final, finishing second in the Wincanton qualifier on Boxing Day. He was raised 5lbs for his next start at Newbury when third of sixteen behind Polish. Ireland have dominated the Pertemps for the past five years with the last three winners all trained by Gordon Elliott. Southfield Harvest is a 20-1 chance to snap that sequence.
