Barry Geraghty
Barry Geraghty: Harry Cobden will grab the opportunity with both hands
William Hill ambassador Barry Geraghty reflects on the news that Harry Cobden is set to become the new retained rider for JP McManus and remembers the time he got the call up to ride in the famous green and gold silks.
There had been a bit of speculation as regards Harry’s [Cobden] future role because he has probably been riding for more yards this season. Paul Nicholls maybe doesn’t have as much quality as he has had in recent years, and it’s probably come at a good time for Harry with both the level of experience that he has and his age.
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.
When I spoke to JP [McManus] and the opportunity arose to work for him, it was an honour to get it. I was probably in a different position [to Harry] as it was offering me the opportunity to ride more back in Ireland.
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. Like Mark Walsh, he’s a good all-rounder.
Mark is a brilliant rider and of course rode the Gold Cup and Ryanair winner last season as well as many other Festival winners. Mark is closing in on being 40 now and has achieved a huge amount of success for JP, and Harry will be looking to follow in his footsteps.
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. It would have been the same for me when I started with Nicky [Henderson] as when I started with JP – you’re not long in the job but you realise how quickly you slot in. JP would take the pressure out of a situation, rather than put pressure on. That’s the way he is to work for.
