Cobden excited by return of Topofthegame Harry Cobden is looking forward to next season with an array of talent to choose from in his role as Paul Nicholls’ stable jockey headed by the returning Topofthegame. The giant eight-year-old gelding appeared a leading Gold Cup candidate after beating Santini and Delta Work in last year’s RSA Chase but missed all of last season with a leg injury. “Paul brought him back in to do a little bit of work at the backend of last season. He had him trotting uphill and a few other things just to get the old bones going,” said Cobden on Racing TV. He added, “He’s still got plenty of time on his side. He’s only a young horse, he’s big and hopefully he’s still improving. Obviously the form has worked out well from his novice season. I was gutted he couldn’t be around last season but he’s going to be an exciting one to have back in the camp.” The Flemensfirth gelding is likely to reappear in the Ladbroke Trophy at Newbury but Cobden admitted it would be a really tough decision if he was asked to choose which to ride between Cyrname, Clan Des Obeaux and Topofthegame in a King George. “That would give me a headache! Cyrname at his best is very, very good. Clan Des Obeaux is obviously brilliant around Kempton and Topofthegame is probably the horse we have for a Gold Cup next year. “It depends what Topofthegame did first time out. He might go for the Ladbroke and if he won that you would be brave to get off him in a King George if you were definitely going to ride him in a Gold Cup.” Master Tommytucker and McFabulous are other exciting sorts at Nicholls’ Ditcheat yard. McFabulous has always been viewed as a chasing type and earned a nice pay-day before racing closed down with an impressive success in the EBF Paddy Power Novices’ Handicap Hurdle at Kempton. “McFabulous is improving and another year hurdling wouldn’t hurt him but at the same time if you’re going to jump fences why not crack on and do it. I’ll leave that decision to Paul — he's a better judge than I am! “You could go either way. I think he’s the best novice that we have got and looking forward he’ll be a fantastic chaser in years to come. But he could be a Stayers Hurdle horse as well. I’ll be intrigued to see what Paul does as he’s a horse we all like a lot.” Jumping has been the main issue with Master Tommytucker with Cobden commenting, “He has bags and bags of ability but I’ve only managed to keep him on his feet once last season from four runs which has been a bit of a headache. He’s probably one of the best horses in the yard when we can keep him on his feet. Danny Whizzbang is another that Cobden can see reaching at least a rating of 155 over fences, while other horses he picked out to follow include Pic D’Orhy and Getaway Trump. “I think Pic D’Orhy will be a good novice chaser next season, and Getaway Trump is one that could win some nice races. He’s still a novice over fences, he’s had his wind done and I think he could progress to be a really nice novice chaser. His novice chase runs were good. He got beat by Put The Kettle On who went on to win the Arkle. “The girl who rides him every day said she could see the difference (since his wind was done). He never really got his ground, he wants good ground and is a spring horse. I think we’ll see the best of him around the Ayr meeting or if he’s good enough maybe even Punchestown. “There is also a nice unraced horse by Motivator that will be running in a bumper next season that I’m told is quite useful.” Unfortunately Dynamite Dollars is one that Cobden and Nicholls will be without in future after the seven-year-old, who filled the runner-up spot behind stablemate Politologue in the Queen Mother Champion Chase last month, suffered a fatal heart attack recently during a routine canter.
