Charlie Swan: Cobden's new role ‘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 said: “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.”

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.”