Potts recruits Cooper to ride top-class jumps string in Britain

Bryan Cooper says he has been given an opportunity to reignite his career after being recruited by Alan Potts to become first choice on the jumpers he owns trained in Britain this season.

Cooper, 25, who landed the 2016 Cheltenham Gold Cup on Don Cossack, lost one of the biggest jobs in racing when he was axed as Gigginstown House Stud's retained jockey in July.

But he has been picked up by Potts, owner of reigning Gold Cup winner Sizing John, in a link-up that will begin immediately when Cooper partners two of the owner's Colin Tizzard-trained team at Ludlow on Wednesday.

Under the arrangement Cooper will be first-choice rider on the Potts stars based in Britain, such as Fox Norton and Finian's Oscar, while Robbie Power, who had been commuting from Ireland when required, will be aboard the owner's Irish-based horses headed by Sizing John.

Potts told the Racing Post: "Bryan Cooper is number one jockey in the UK, where Colin Tizzard is my main trainer, but if there are any other trainers in the UK, he would cover those horses as well. He'll be number two jockey in Ireland.

"Robbie Power is number one jockey in Ireland and number two jockey in the UK, so they'll work it between them."

Potts admitted he was surprised Cooper became available.

"I didn't expect to get him. I can't understand Gigginstown, but as he was available I offered him the position," he said.

Cooper is set to partner Exxaro and Mick Thonic on Wednesday and will also be in action at Chepstow on Saturday, when the exciting Finian's Oscar is poised to make his chasing debut.

"It's a great opportunity," he said. "I'll be in there [Tizzard's] from Thursday morning and I suppose I'll know a bit more after that, but it's a fantastic opportunity and I can't believe it to be honest. It's something that reignites a career."

Potts has added to his string since last season when, with his late wife Ann, the owner enjoyed a prolific spring.

Tizzard provided him with four wins at the Grand National meeting and three at the Punchestown festival, the highlights coming with Fox Norton in the Melling and Champion Chases, while Jessica Harrington supplied two wins at the Cheltenham Festival – Supasundae in the Coral Cup and Sizing John, who followed up in the Punchestown Gold Cup.

Potts said: "We've got quite a few more horses that we bought last year. All of them were top horses at the sales, or second top, whether it were the Cheltenham sale, Aintree or wherever.

"We're looking at advancing the quality of our horses all the time. We had our best season last time, but I fully expect we'll have an even better season this time.

"We'll be trying to win the £1 million bonus with Sizing John, that's the race at Haydock, the King George and Gold Cup. That's what we hope will be Sizing John's programme and we won't be putting any of our other good horses against him, unless he fails."

He continued: "Bryan is going over on Thursday to ride work and then he's going to be riding the horses at Chepstow on Saturday. That's Finian's Oscar, Alary and, I think, Sizing Codelco – we've got three anyway.

"I'm happy for Jessica Harrington to still have first call on Robbie. She has first call on him, not me. He's been with Jessica 20-odd years and I've got a lot of time for Jessica, so I'm happy with the arrangement."

Potts would support Cooper moving to Britain, if he chose to do so.

"I've told him that if he wants to move to the UK I'd be very pleased with that, and I'll be surprised if he doesn't get more rides in the UK when he's riding here," he said.

"I will give him a disturbance allowance, to cover the cost of his change, if he decided to move."

Up to last week Power had been travelling to Britain to ride the Potts horses, enjoying considerable success, the latest being a victory at Newton Abbot last week on Sizing Platinum.

Tizzard said: "Alan wants to use Bryan Cooper on his English horses. Bryan is a top-class rider and we're more than happy with that decision."

Bryan Cooper 2017-18 specials

Coral 1-3 ride UK Grade 1 winner for Alan Potts, 2 ride Cheltenham Festival winner for Alan Potts, 10 top jockey at Cheltenham Festival

Ladbrokes 2 ride Sizing John in Cheltenham Gold Cup, 3 ride 20 or more winners in UK for Alan Potts, 33 ride Grand National winner for Alan Potts

Three stars for Cooper to look forward to

Finian's Oscar
The winning pointer was the horse everyone wanted to get their hands on at Cheltenham’s November sale last year and Potts secured him for the princely sum of £250,000.

Finian's Oscar wasted little time recouping some of that outlay, graduating from a novice hurdle win at Hereford in December to Grade 1 Tolworth winner in January. A setback ruled him out of the Cheltenham Festival, but he gained rich compensation with a second Grade 1 at Aintree and missed out on a third top-level win by only a short head at Punchestown in the spring.

Connections anticipate the best is yet to come when he tackles fences and Cooper is likely to find out for himself on Saturday, when Finian's Oscar is due to make his chasing debut at Chepstow.

Power-packed: Fox Norton (far side) jumps the last well and overhauls Un De Sceaux to win the Champion Chase at PunchestownCredit: Getty Images

Fox Norton
The talented chaser succeeded where Finian’s Oscar failed last season, following up at Punchestown having landed a Grade 1 at Aintree in the Melling Chase.

Fox Norton, switched from Neil Mulholland to the yard of Colin Tizzard last November after Potts bought him, hit the bar when runner-up in the Queen Mother Champion Chase in March.

The seven-year-old beat Un De Sceaux over two miles at Punchestown but Tizzard is looking to stretch his stamina this season and has not ruled out the possibility of putting him in his Gold Cup team come March.

Sizing Codelco
One of the horses who left the care of Henry de Bromhead last year, he has done nothing but improve under the tutelage of Tizzard.

Another to carry the green, gold and red of Potts to victory at both the Aintree and Punchestown festivals, the eight-year-old has climbed to a lofty official rating of 160 and, while he may look an ideal Grand National type, connections are entitled to be looking beyond handicaps now.

The Ladbrokes Trophy (formerly Hennessy Gold Cup) could be an early-season target and he could join Finian's Oscar at Chepstow this weekend.

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