Cobden steers Meetmebythesea to Paddy Power Gold Cup win at Cheltenham
Harry Cobden rode Meetmebythesea to win the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham, passing the finish two and a half lengths clear of the field. It was the first win in the race for the horse's owner, JP McManus.
The Gold Cup is a handicap, which means the horses carry different weights. The better ones are asked to carry more, so the contest is meant to be close. This year, five horses were withdrawn before the start, including July Flower, and ten went to post.
Meetmebythesea started as the 2-1 favourite. Bookmakers' prices are written as "odds", and 2-1 means that a successful £1 bet would return £2 in profit on top of the stake. Favourites are the horses the betting market fancies most.
Blueking D'Oroux, trained by Dan Skelton, finished second at odds of 10-3. Torneo was third at 12-1, almost three lengths behind the runner-up.
Cobden is the 2023-24 champion jump jockey, the rider who won the most races over fences and hurdles that season. In May, he became McManus' retained jockey in Britain and Ireland. A retained jockey is the one an owner uses first for their horses, though not every ride is guaranteed. Cobden's first big success in that role came on the Cheltenham hill, with the crowd cheering the horses home.
Meetmebythesea is a six-year-old trained by Ben Pauling. He first made his name at Cheltenham, winning a novice race at the Festival in March. Novice races are for horses still early in their careers over jumps.
For a horse that has already shown what it can do at the Festival, a winning return in November is a useful marker. Owners, trainers and punters alike will be watching where the horse goes next.
