Harry Cobden’s Planet Sport Bet blog: I’d rather win the Gold Cup than the Jockeys’ Championship

Jockeys’ title

My chances in the Jockeys’ Championship are looking a lot more realistic, now that I’m only 15 behind Sean Bowen with 12 or 13 weeks left in the season, so I need just over one winner a week to level up. That’s not impossible. 
 
It can be frustrating when you’re on a horse with a chance and they don’t win, but you just have to not worry about it and go on to the next one. If a horse is good enough, they’ll win. 
 
Winning the championship is not the be-all-and-end-all of my goals, but it’s something that I’ve always wanted to achieve and, if I could, it would be fantastic.

If you said to me, though, would you rather win the Championship or the Gold Cup, I would say the Gold Cup!

 

Cheltenham Trials Day

 

Burdett Road
 
While it was disappointing to see Burdett Road beaten, Sir Gino looks a worthy Triumph favourite. I wasn’t sure we’d run our race, though.

I didn’t think we went overly quick and he probably didn’t settle as well as he could have done.

The third and fourth horses were probably too close to us. Back to the drawing board with him for now, but I haven’t written him off yet.
 
Everyone is entitled to an off-day, and that was probably his. I haven’t completely lost faith.

I thought he jumped better and travelled nicely. He did get a bit lit-up down the hill but, apart from that, he didn’t really pick up turning in, which was unlike him. 
 
Ginny’s Destiny
 
Ginny’s Destiny won his race nicely. He’s clearly improving for every run, he jumps well and travels well, so he’s everything you want in a racehorse as a jockey as he does everything you want him to and he’s straightforward.

Even so, he’s got to step up before the Turners because, of the horses that he’s beaten so far, not one of them would be entitled to run in a Grade 1 race.

He’s clearly a very good horse, but whether or not he’s good enough to win a Grade 1, I don’t know yet.

Where else, other than Cheltenham, do you go with a horse like him, though? You’ve got to have a crack. He’s done all of his winning in handicaps so stepping into a Grade 1 is an obvious progression.
 
Stay Away Fay
 
Stay Away Fay ran alright in the Costwold Chase and I thought he would win turning in, but he didn’t pick up as well as I thought he would. He flattened out a bit.

The positive is that, at least, he will have learnt a lot from that.

Stepping into that grade put a bit of pressure onto his jumping early doors, but it was no bad thing him running in that race because he’s learnt a lot and it should stand him in good stead for Cheltenham.
 
Noble Yeats

 

It was a pleasure to ride Noble Yeats in the Cleeve Hurdle. He looks a proper Stayers’ Hurdle contender now.

He wouldn’t be the most straightforward, but I though he jumped a lot better on Saturday, much slicker and quicker than last time, and, after the second last, I didn’t think he was too likely but, as soon as he hit that rising ground, he found another gear and stayed on really well.

He’s got loads of ability and should have a real chance in the Stayers’ come March. With a horse like him, you’d never really know how much was left under the bonnet.

It wouldn’t surprise me if he went very close at the Festival. Whether or not I’ll get the ride on him, though, I have no idea yet!