Harry Cobden
Born in Lydford-on-Fosse, Somerset on November 5, 1998, Harry Cobden is, like many of his weighing room colleagues, a recruit from the field of point-to-point racing. He had been associated with Paul Nicholls’ yard in nearby Ditcheat since his early teens and became conditional jockey to the now 14-time champion trainer at the start of the 2015/16 National Hunt season. He rode his first winner under rules, El Mondo, trained by Rachael Green, at Leicester on March 6, 2015 and his first winner for Nicholls, Ulck Du Lin, at Wincanton on April 19, 2015.
In 2016/17, Cobden won the conditional jockeys’ title, riding out his claim in the process and, towards the of the 2017/18 season, became Nicholls’ stable jockey. By that stage, he had already ridden his first Cheltenham Festival winner, Kilbricken Storm, trained by Colin Tizzard, in the Spa Novices’ Hurdle on March 16, 2018. Indeed, Tizzard also offered Cobden the job as stable jockey at his yard in Milborne Port, Dorset prior to his appointment with Nicholls.
In 2019, Cobden added a second Cheltenham winner, the subsequently injury-prone Topofthegame, trained by Nicholls, in the Broadway Novices’ Chase. After a brief hiatus, in 2023 he added winners three and four, Stay Away Fay in the Spa Novices’ Hurdle, again, and Stage Star in the Golden Miller Novices’ Chase; both horses were trained by Nicholls. Last, but by no means least, in 2024 Cobden won the Pertemps Final on Monmiral, again trained by Nicholls, en route to winning his maiden senior jockeys’ title.
John Francome once said, “Having Harry Cobden on your side is like taking 7lb off a horse’s back…” Still only 26, able to ride at 10st 2lb and already with 24 Grade 1 wins to his name, Cobden looks destined for greatness, at the Cheltenham Festival and elsewehere.