Paddy Power ambassador Harry Cobden says he is taking it "one race at a time" as he balances being Paul Nicholls' number one with riding a few horses for Willie Mullins.
Speaking on this week’s Paddy Power ‘Harry Cobden and the Weekly Podcast’, the reigning British Jump Jockeys' Champion was discussing his recent partnership with trainers' champ Mullins which has included victories aboard Captain Cody in the Scottish Grand National and Absurde in the Sussex Champion Hurdle Handicap Hurdle at Plumpton.
Speaking to the show's host Patrick Kennelly, Paddy Power's newest ambassador said: "I wouldn’t have said I’d be on his roster of jockeys anyway (at the start of this season), but it’s great isn’t it and I’m just embracing the moment I suppose.
"I think we’ll just take it one race at a time – Sam (Stronge, agent) does a great job, but obviously there’s great racing in Ireland at the moment and they’re short of a few English jockeys so it’s nice to be called up.
"Last weekend worked out well – obviously Afadil had bottom weight, he was 2lb out of the handicap, so Freddie Gingell kept the ride on him, hence why I rode Absurde. Even in the Sussex Champion Chase Sans Bruit went up 9lb and obviously Matterhorn was trained for the race so I suppose Paul wanted to claim off Sans Bruit and Matterhorn’s obviously owned by Johnny de la Hey who I’ve had lots of luck for in the past, so it was just the right thing to do on the day to ride Matterhorn.
"Although he was the outsider of the field, you can’t look at one of Paul’s twice when he’s trained one for a race and he probably ran a career best to finish second. He was a big price, but he did very well last year and obviously went up through the weights last summer and I thought off 142 on Monday, it was a big performance for him."
Cobden was keen to stress that his focus remains on being stable jockey at Ditcheat.
He said: "Yes, absolutely still Paul’s number one but obviously if Paul’s got a 50/1 shot and I can ride a horse shorter in the betting then he’s fine to let me off and do whatever I want to do really, but you pick your moments when you get off one of Paul’s horses.
"To be honest with you, you don’t want to get off them too often because they’re hard horses to pass aren’t they, and he’s obviously still the master trainer in this country so very much prioritising him first and then whatever we can get from anyone really."
That strong association is set to continue in one of the biggest races of the final day of the National Hunt season when Cobden rides Threeunderthrufive in the bet365 Gold Cup Handicap Chase.
"We have Threeunderthrufive in that – I think he’s an intended runner for that race. I saw Captain Cody was in there and Willie has got how many in there 12 (actually 15) in there. I think that's a good number to chuck at you so he’s going to probably throw the kitchen sink at the race, but it looks like my services will have to stay with Mr Nicholls.
"Threeunderthrufive ran fine in the Grand National – he probably wasn’t cut out for the race looking back really, but I think I rode him in the bet365 last year and I was 13th so hopefully he’ll run better than that."
Threeunderthrufive is a general 33/1 chance in the weekend's big handicap, a race Nicholls has won four times in the past dating back to Ad Hoc in 2001.
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