Meetmebythesea gives JP McManus first Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham

Meetmebythesea, ridden by Harry Cobden, secured owner JP McManus his first Paddy Power Gold Cup victory at Cheltenham on Saturday, winning by two-and-a-half lengths as the 2-1 favourite.

Harry Cobden, who previously rode as first jockey for trainer Paul Nicholls, is the 2023-24 champion jump jockey and in May began as McManus' retained jockey in Britain and Ireland; the race attracted a reduced field of 10 runners after five non-runners, including July Flower.

Meetmebythesea was level with Dan Skelton's Blueking D'Oroux (10-3) going over the last fence before pulling clear to win by two-and-a-half lengths, with Torneo, sent off at 12-1, finishing almost three lengths further back in third. Cobden pumped his fists as he crossed the line.

Speaking to ITV Sport after the race, Cobden said: "These big days don't come along very often and I'm going to enjoy every single one of them from now on." He added: "To ride a horse like this in a race like that, you just have to pinch yourself to be in this position. "It's wonderful for the boss [McManus], he puts so much into racing, I'm just the lucky man that's allowed to be part of it."

Trainer Ben Pauling praised the performance, saying: "He jumped brilliantly and travelled really well... and showed a bit of guts there to win well." Pauling also commented on how the contest revealed more from the horse, observing: "He needed to do that today. I think he showed a lot more than we have seen from him so far, but he's just really good. "You don't know what you have got under the bonnet until you compete in races like that, but that was really cool."

The victory was Meetmebythesea's second notable Cheltenham success, having previously won there as a novice at the Festival in March.

When asked whether Meetmebythesea could contest the Gold Cup at Cheltenham's March Festival, Pauling stopped short of committing to that idea, saying: "I don't know what I see him as".