How many Grade 1 winners has Harry Cobden ridden for Paul Nicholls?

Cobden rode his first Grade 1 winner for Paul Nicholls, Irving in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle, in November, 2016, while still a conditional jockey. In fact, he did not ride out his claim until the following February, but went on to win the conditional jockeys’ title in 2016/17. In 2017/18, Cobden rode 76 winners, including 24 for Nicholls; that season he rode two more Grade 1 winners for the now 12-time champion trainer, namely Politologue, in the Betfair Tingle Creek Chase at Ascot in December, 2017, and Diego Du Charmil, in the Doom Bar Maghull Novices’ Chase at Aintree in April, 2018.

Shortly afterwards, Nicholls announced Cobden as his new stable jockey for the forthcoming 2018/19 National Hunt season, replacing Sam Twiston-Davies. In his inaugural season as first-choice jockey at Manor Farm Stables, Cobden rode 109 winners, 84 of which were trained by Nicholls, including four more at Grade 1 level. Cobden missed out on a Grade 1 winner in the curtailed 2019/20 season, but was back in business in 2020/21, winning the MansionBet Challow Novices’ Hurdle at Newbury on Bravesmangame, and the Doom Bar Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle and Betway Bowl Chase, on the same day, on Monmiral and Clan Des Obeaux, respectively. All three winners were trained by Paul Nicholls, taking Cobden’s career tally for the yard to ten Grade 1 winners.

What types of bet are there?

The types of bet available on horse racing are numerous, too numerous to describe here, but suffice to say that they range from basic to complex, sometimes fiendishly so. The stock-in-trade of most punters, though, are the win bet and the win and place, or each-way, bet. The win bet involves placing a single stake on a horse to finish first in a race. The each-way bet, on the other hand, is effectively two bets in one; the first bet is on the horse to finish first and the second is on the horse to finish placed. The win bet is paid out at full odds, while the place bet is paid out at a fraction of the win odds. The number of places on which bookmakers pay out, and the fraction of the win odds they pay, varies according to the number of runners in the race and the type of race.

Rather than betting on just one selection in one race, it is also possible to combine two, three, four or more selections in doubles, trebles and accumulators which, like single bets, can be win or each-way. These so-called ‘multiple bets’ require more than one selection to win or finished placed to guarantee a return, but are nonetheless popular with small-stakes punters seeking a large payout. The fact that they are inherently riskier than single bets also makes them popular with bookmakers.

What’s Tom Marquand’s strike rate for William Haggas?

Tom Marquand, 23, became apprenticed to Richard Hannon, as a 16-year-old, in 2014, and rode his first winner, Mecado, in the Watch Racing UK on 3 Devices Selling Stakes at Kempton on December 17 that year. The following season, 2015, he won the apprentices’ title 54-52, after protracted battle with his nearest rival, Jack Garritty, which he later said helped him to mature professionally and personally.

Marquand first rode for William Haggas in 2017, winning on three of his six rides for the yard at a strike rate of 50%. That strike rate fell, to 9-42 (21%), in 2018 as his number of rides for the Newmarket trainer increased, but rose again to 24-102 (24%) in 2019 and only fell back to 44-232 (19%) in 2020. Indeed, in early 2020, Marquand plied his trade in Australia, winning his first two Group 1 races, the Ranvet Stakes at Rosehill in March and the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick in April, on Addeybb, trained by Haggas. In September that year, he also won his first British Classic, the St. Leger at Doncaster, on Galileo Chrome, also trained by Haggas. At the time, Haggas said, ‘He [Marquand] is top class and will be the champion one day.’

Marquand won the Queen Elizabeth Stakes on Addeybb once again in 2021 and, domestically, finished clear third in the Flat Jockeys’ Championship, with 117 winners between May 1 and October 16. As far as William Haggas is concerned, he has a strike rate of 55-242 (22%) so far, which takes his career strike rate for the yard to 135-630 (22%).

Which were the top three staying chasers in 2020-21?

The Cheltenham Gold Cup is the obvious starting point for any discussion of the staying chaser division, so it’s no surprise that the first three home in the 2021 renewal topped the ratings for 2020/21, according to Timeform. Stablemates Minella Indo (175) and A Plus Tard (174) gave trainer Henry de Bromhead a notable 1-2 in the premier steeplechase and were followed home by defending champion Al Boum Photo (170); the latter shared third place in the ratings with Punchestown Gold Cup winner Clan Des Obeaux (170).

Minella Indo had suffered an agonising defeat when run down close home by Champ in the RSA Novices’ Chase at the 2020 Cheltenham Festival, but returned to action with routine wins, at long odds-on, at Wexford and Navan. However, he fell before halfway when favourite for the Savills Chase at Leopardstown over Christmas and was beaten favourite again in the Irish Gold Cup, back at Leopardstown, in February. Indeed, in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, he was forsaken by regular partner Rachael Blackmore, but defied expectation by staying on gamely to beat A Plus Tard by 1¼ lengths.

A Plus Tard made an inauspicious start to the season when turned over, at odds-on, in the Fortria Chase at Navan for the second year running on his reappearance in November. However, stepped back up to 3 miles, he stayed on strongly to beat Kemboy by half a length in the aforementioned Savills Chase and headed straight to the Cheltenham Festival as the better-fancied of the De Bromhead-trained pair. However, although he briefly moved upsides Minella Indo on the turn for home in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, he was always fighting a losing battle in the straight and had to settle for a highly creditable second.

Of course, Al Boum Photo won the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2019 and 2020 and, having hacked up in his traditional preparatory race, the Savill’s New Year’s Day Chase at Tramore, was made favourite to complete a notable hat-trick. Although denied a slice of racing history, the 9-year-old was carried out on his shield, staying on to finish third, beaten 5½ lengths, but 24 lengths ahead of the fourth horse home, Native River.

In the absence of Minella Indo, sidelined with a bruised foot, Al Boum Photo was also sent off favourite for the Punchestown Gold Cup in April, but was beaten 1½ lengths by Clan Des Obeaux. Clan Des Obeaux had been beaten on his first three starts of the season, in the Betfair Chase, King George VI Chase and Denman Chase, but had returned to winning ways with a facile, 26-length defeat of Clondaw Castle in the Betway Bowl Chase at Aintree on his previous start.

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