Harry Cobden sidelined for three months after neck fracture

Harry Cobden, only recently announced as the new stable jockey to ten-time champion trainer Paul Nicholls, will miss the majority of the summer jumps campaign after suffering a small fracture in his neck at Market Rasen on Friday.

The 19-year-old was in third on the Colin Tizzard-trained chaser Mick Thonic when he was unseated at the last. He walked away from the incident but it was later found to be more serious than first thought.

Nicholls told the Racing Post on Monday: "Harry suffered a fracture to the C2 veterbra in his neck and will be in a neck brace for eight weeks. He's aiming to be back riding around September 1.

"It didn't look a particularly serious fall, but he walked away pretty sore and ended up spending the night in hospital in Nottingham.

Harry Cobden celebrates victory aboard Kilbricken Storm at CheltenhamCredit: Grossick Racing

"Obviously it's a blow for him, but if there is a good time to do this it's now as he won't be missing much here. I won't be running many in the summer and we're roughing a lot off at the moment, so we're just hoping to get him back and fit for the autumn."

Cobden won the conditional riders' championship in 2016-17 and enjoyed a fine first season as a fully fledged jockey, winning three Grade 1s including the Tingle Creek on Politologue for Nicholls and the Albert Bartlett on Kilbricken Storm for Tizzard, who also gave him the ride on stable star Cue Card in the Betfair Chase.

Cobden finished the season with 76 winners, which took him to ninth in the championship table behind Richard Johnson. It was announced just days later that he would be taking over from Sam Twiston-Davies as Nicholls' number one jockey.

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