Charlie Swan backs Cobden for ‘one of the best jobs’ in jumps racing

Charlie Swan believes there will be plenty of success in the future for Harry Cobden after he was announced in the plum role of retained rider to owner JP McManus in both Britain and Ireland.

The 27-year-old has spent 10 years at Ditcheat as the number one jockey for 14-time champion trainer Paul Nicholls, but will take on a new job riding in the green and gold silks of McManus from the end of the current season in May.

Swan famously partnered the McManus-owned Istabraq to three Champion Hurdles at Cheltenham, also winning the Irish equivalent four times, and can see why the 2023/24 champion jockey made the decision to move on after spending so long in Somerset.

Swan told the Press Association: “Harry’s a very, very good rider, isn’t he? You can see why they’ve chosen him. He’s a really good rider and Paul’s not got as many good horses as he did have.

“There’s lots of nice horse for him, so it will be a good move for him.

“JP’s obviously a great man to be riding for. It’s one of the best jobs in National Hunt racing.”

Cobden has little experience riding across the Irish Sea, but Swan thinks it will be a simple transition for him to divide his time between Britain and Ireland.

He added: “It isn’t much different from England really, with lots of small and bigger tracks so it will not be a big change from what he has experienced in Britain.”

Barry Geraghty, who was the retained rider for McManus between 2015 and 2020, thinks Cobden is the perfect candidate.

The William Hill ambassador said: “It’s one of the best jobs in racing. There’s a depth of quality there at all levels, you’ve last season’s Gold Cup and Ryanair winners, The New Lion, Jonbon, a bunch of smart novices and plenty more.

“It’s a massive opportunity for Harry and I’m sure he will grab it with both hands. It will be different for him riding in Ireland and Britain, but he’s very capable and he won’t have any problem adjusting to that.

“Harry is a very good rider and I think he is the right type of person to ride for JP. He rides a patient race and JP would rather his horses were ridden patiently than aggressively, so his style should be well suited to the job. He rides well over fences and hurdles and is a good horseman.

“When you get any big job, you have an internal pressure, but as you get used to it and you relax, you realise you’re working for someone who has a great understanding of the sport and how it works.”

Nicky Henderson has trained more big-race winners for McManus than any other British-based trainer in recent years, most notably providing him with four Champion Hurdle wins courtesy of Binocular (2010), Buveur d’Air (2017, 2018) and Epatante (2020) and 10 Grade Ones with crack two-miler Jonbon.

Cobden is nought from three in rides for Henderson, a record the Seven Barrows handler hopes will quickly improve in the coming months.

“That must be down to my training, because it’s certainly not his riding,” Henderson said.

“He’s a very good jockey, of course he is.”