Rubaud and Harry Cobden
Rubaud and Harry Cobden

Elite Hurdle: Harry Cobden excited by Rubaud


Harry Cobden believes it will take a ‘good one’ to lower the colours of the progressive Rubaud in the West Country Weekend Elite Hurdle at Wincanton on Saturday.

Having teamed up with champion Jump trainer Paul Nicholls to land the Grade Two prize with Knappers Hill 12 months ago the pair will bid to repeat the feat with the son of Air Chief Marshal at the weekend.

Already a dual winner at Grade Two level having secured victory in the Sky Bet Dovecote Novices’ Hurdle and the Coral Scottish Champion Hurdle last season, Rubaud made a triumphant return back at Listed level at Kempton Park last month.

And although Rubaud is now sitting on a career high mark of 150, the Cheltenham Festival-winning rider hopes he can continue that progression by giving Ditcheat handler Nicholls a record extending ninth win in the race.

Cobden said: “Rubaud is in good form after winning at Kempton the other day. The handicapper put him up nine pounds for that, but you would want a good one to get by him here I would say. He was impressive when he won the Scottish Champion Hurdle last season, but he was only running off a mark of 135 then. Now he is up to 150 and hopefully he can run up to that mark. I can’t think of too many horses in this country that would beat him in this division in Britain apart from Constitution Hill.

“He would struggle to lay a glove on Constitution Hill, but someone has got to win these races and we might as well keep him in this division and win as much as we can.”

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With Rubaud having the advantage of a run under his belt ahead of stepping back up in class Cobden feels he should be much slicker for that outing on his first appearance at the Somerset track.

Cobden added: “He needed his first run as he hadn’t been away for a gallop. The runner-up at Kempton was race fit and Rubaud was fresh. He can take a chance at his hurdles and the only thing I would say about his Kempton Park run was that he was bit low at the odd one, but he got away with it. That run will have taken the gas out of him. He is a horse that really wants it and he will stick his head out for you. He has got a nice way of galloping, and he has a nice low head carriage.”

Having been successful on board Knappers Hill on the corresponding card last year Cobden could seek secure further glory at the same meeting on the gelded son of Valirann who has been handed an entry in the Boodles ‘Rising Stars’ Novices’ Chase.

Although Knappers Hill tasted defeat on his chasing debut at Chepstow last month Cobden believes the two-and-a-half-mile Grade Two would be a suitable test for the seven-year-old should he take up his engagement in the race.

Cobden said: “I was happy with him at Chepstow. He needed the run, and the ground was a bit soft for him. He ran very well and just bumped into a fitter and more experienced chaser of Dan Skelton’s (Unexpected Party).

“He was good with his jumping at Chepstow and what people forget is that he is not a very big horse. When you look at him he is not a chaser to look at. I was just pleased the way he went about it and the way he jumped on the way round. I was more than happy with him. I think this race will be a suitable test for him if the ground is right as he wouldn’t want it too soft.”

Since making a winning debut at Chepstow in 2020, Knappers Hill has gone on to taste victory a further nine times, including three times at Grade Two level something Cobden believes is a testament to his character.

He added: “He has been an absolute champion, and you would love to own him. He has nicked prize money his whole life and he has paid for himself tenfold. He has given his owners so much fun along the way. If you owned a horse that gave you as much fun as he did then everyone in the country would have a horse. I think he is a very good Grade Two horse and he was the same over hurdles. He is a grand little money spinner that will nick his couple of races each season.”

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Should Knappers Hill not line up it could see stablemate, and last year’s Grade One Unibet Tolworth Novices’ Hurdle hero, Tahmuras make his debut over fences in the same race if connections decide to swerve an engagement at Chepstow tomorrow.

Although Tahmuras finished down the field over an extended two miles in the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival and the Poundland Top Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree, the Grade One-winning jockey believes the step up in trip will be a big benefit to the six-year-old.

He said: “I know this would be a big ask for a horse that hasn’t yet run over fences under rules, but he has won a point-to-point. There won’t be loads of runners and it is a decent pot on a good track. If the ground got testing it could suit him as he won a heavy ground Tolworth Hurdle.

“He is a two and a half miler all day long and he will probably get three miles in time. I think last season because he won a Tolworth Hurdle over two miles he stayed in that category.

“If you look back at his runs at Cheltenham and Aintree he was flat out the whole way and never travelled a yard. He is very natural over a fence and I think the obvious thing to do this season is to step him up in trip and start him off over two and a half miles and then go from there.”


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