The top jockey is sweet on Absolutely Doyen’s chances in the 15:45 at Ascot.

It was an excellent weekend at the Paddy Power meeting at Cheltenham last weekend. No Drama This End was really good and it’s not often I’ve taken a pull on a horse going down the hill at Cheltenham! It was good to feel like Paul Townend for once.

Paul Nicholls was pretty nervous before the race as he knew that one of his best horses was about to make his seasonal debut. He did it well and the plan is to go to the Challow Hurdle at Newbury.

My second winner came on Saint Clovis in Sunday’s bumper. He is pretty buzzy and raced from the front, but won well. He was pretty ‘forward’ compared to any of the bumper horses at Ditcheat so far this season.

L’Eau Du Sud was very impressive for the Skeltons in the Shloer Chase and given Kalif Du Berlais beat him at Aintree it puts his defeat in the Haldon Gold Cup in a better light.

Maybe we were the ‘fresher’ horse at Aintree as we missed Cheltenham, but hopefully Kalif Du Berlais can bounce back to winning ways after a break. He’s only a five-year-old after all.

We took a few horses to Newbury for an ‘away day’ for Paul Nicholls and while i was there I watched Nicky Henderson’s Constitution Hill in his work – he went well.

I’m heading to Ascot on Saturday and I have seven rides lined up.

Harry Cobden’s SATURDAY rides

Ascot 12:25 – Percy Shelley
Ascot 12:55 – Presenting Doy
Ascot 13:30 – Pic D’Orhy
Ascot 14:05 – Largy Poet
Ascot 14:40 – Winter Fog
Ascot 15:15 – Sans Bruit
Ascot 15:45 – Absolutely Doyen

*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change

PERCY SHELLEY has a rating of 123 but it’s a valuable novice hurdle so he’ll take his chance. He’s having his first run of the season and is ready to roll. Hopefully he runs well in a race where Off The Jury sets the standard.

PRESENTING DOY is trained by Emma Lavelle and is a nice spare ride to pick up. She’s rated 113 and ran well at Uttoxeter towards the end of last season. She’s a big, scopey, mare and is entitled to improve.

There’s only five runners declared for the 1965 Ascot Chase so it’s going to be tactical. Il Est Francais was just touched off in the King George VI Chase last season before finishing sixth in the Ryanair Chase and is very good. I ride Pic D’Orhy and we’re conceding 6lb so we definitely look up against it. However, Pic D’Orhy has had a run this term and Il Est Francais is making his seasonal debut. Pic D’Orhy loves Ascot and has won this race for the past two seasons. We’ll have a go!

Largy Poet goes in the 3m 5f Handicap Chase and ran well last time at Fontwell on seasonal debut when second to Lord Accord. He’s consistent, the track and trip is no problem but the concern is that he doesn’t look to have even 1lb in hand of the handicapper. The frost covers are going down and that could mean the ground stays good. It seems silly to say he could be ‘rushed off his feet’ over the 3m 5f trip, but it could be a case of the softer the ground, the better his chance. He’s Mr. Consistent, but his wins have come on soft and heavy ground. He’s a good servant and I expect him to run well.

The Ascot Hurdle over just shy of 2m 4f sees me team up with Willie Mullins’ Winter Fog. He was third in the eventful Champion Hurdle last season and was third at Wetherby last time. He has a bit of form to find with some of the others but I’d sooner be riding him, than be sitting in the weighing room, watching on TV.

Sans Bruit is better jumping left-handed than going right-handed at Ascot. He’s a dual winner at Aintree and has had a run this season but might just be up against it jumping right-handed.

The final race on the card is the Novices’ Handicap Hurdle over three miles where Absolutely Doyen is top weight. He was entered in the earlier Novices’ Hurdle on the card but was 16lb wrong in the weights-to-ratings so this is a much better fit for him. He runs off a mark of 115 and handles decent ground so let’s hope he’s still ahead of the handicapper.

He’s my best chance of a winner on Saturday.

Harry Cobden’s SATURDAY rides

Ascot 12:25 – Percy Shelley
Ascot 12:55 – Presenting Doy
Ascot 13:30 – Pic D’Orhy
Ascot 14:05 – Largy Poet
Ascot 14:40 – Winter Fog
Ascot 15:15 – Sans Bruit
Ascot 15:45 – Absolutely Doyen

*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change

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