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The Bryan Cooper thread

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  • #16
    Not his best day at the office.

    Picks up 6 days for cutting up AP and gets on wrong one in the Hennessy.

    Comment


    • #17
      February 10, 2014 by Brian O'Connor

      Bryan Cooper endured a Hennessy fixture at Leopardstown that could be best described as character-building: it was certainly a day far from the charmed progress that has mostly characterised the career of the most high profile young jockey in racing and one that again showed how harder it is being the man in the hot-seat rather than filling the role of super-sub.

      Barry Geraghty once famously dismissed pressure as being for tyres and it was Geraghty who stepped in for the Grade 1 winning ride on Guitar Pete, formerly Cooper’s mount until he replaced Davy Russell as Michael O’Leary’s retained jockey. That Cooper finished runner up on Gigginstown’s Tiger Roll was a touch of irony that in the circumstances he was hardly likely to appreciate.

      Geraghty is a notable exception among the great riders in adopting a relatively carefree attitude to the pressures of the game, certainly a lot more laid-back than the furrow-browed, ultra-serious intensity of McCoy and Walsh. That the trio are all well into their 30’s has left a gaping hole for a young pretender and Cooper is widely perceived to be the King in waiting. It certainly seems to be the line of thinking adopted by O’Leary in his new riding arrangements.
      However anyone subscribing to the view that picking wrong from Gigginstown’s assembled ranks was a habit peculiar to Russell will have been disabused of the notion by a Hennessy in which his successor understandably opted for First Lieutenant only for the second-string Last Instalment to score in style.

      That was the real sickener for Cooper, although picking up a six day ban for carless after another Grade 1 runner-up placing on Don Cossack is hardly something to be casually shrugged off either.
      Every top jockey gets one-of-those-days, something Geraghty no doubt learned early. The knack is in quickly bouncing back from them. Clearly Geraghty and Walsh learned the lesson well. It will be interesting to see Cooper’s reaction, especially when he can only be all too aware of the intensity of the focus that automatically accompanies his new job.

      Comment


      • #18


        Rewind 11 months and three weeks, Cheltenham 2013 Day Three, a 20-year-old Bryan Cooper sits still on Benefficient as they start off down the hill in the Jewson Chase, Dynaste and Captain Conan moving up on his outside.

        He knows that his horse has a little bit left, but he doesn't want to burst him. He allows the others pass, but makes sure that he clings to their coat-tails. In reality, in that moment he thinks that he will probably finish third, but he saves some energy for the final climb just in case, holds onto his horse until they approach the second last fence. Then he spots a stride and a gap on the inside.

        "There was no point in wasting energy going around them."

        One, two, up! Benefficient pings the second last fence, just as he has pinged the previous 12. The final fence looms and Cooper sees one last stride. One, two, up. Once again his horse responds, and suddenly - how did that happen? - he finds himself a length and a half clear and driving to the line. Up the hill and into the record books, his first Cheltenham Festival winner.

        "Benefficient was brilliant, but I thought that was it," Cooper recalls. "I thought that was my winner for the week."

        The build-up had been all about Our Conor. All the media attention, all the pre-Cheltenham hype, all everybody wanted to talk about was Our Conor. Our Conor didn't disappoint either. Once again, Cooper sat still at the top of the hill in the Triumph Hurdle the following day as Dessie Hughes' horse just lobbed along underneath him and came clear of his rivals. Indeed, he came so far clear that, on the run to the final flight, such was the quietness that enveloped him, splendid isolation, for a split second Cooper thought that he might have taken the wrong course.

        Then he went out on Ted Veale a half an hour later and won the County Hurdle.

        "It took a long time for it all to sink in," says Cooper. "Three winners at Cheltenham. To be honest, I don't think it really sank in until six weeks later, when I was sitting there with my leg up on a stool."

        Bryan Cooper on his best chance... "Trifolium in the Arkle. It's a hard race to win, but he is such a good jumper, and we know that he acts at Cheltenham. I have ridden him twice, and I have got a great ride off him both times. He could run a big race."
        Bryan Cooper on his best chance...

        There is never a good time to break your leg, but if you are a National Hunt rider and you had to pick a time, you probably couldn't pick a better time than early May. If you had to pick four months to spend on the sidelines, you would probably pick May to August over just about any other four-month stretch on the calendar.

        Bryan Cooper's upward trajectory continued unabated, his broken leg hardly a blip. But things are different now. Two significant events have happened in the last 12 months that have changed the rider's Cheltenham landscape irrevocably. First, Our Conor was bought by Barry Connell, which means that the horse is now ridden by the owner's retained rider, Danny Mullins. Second, in January, Cooper was appointed first jockey to Michael O'Leary's Gigginstown House Stud, which gives him a depth of Cheltenham riches that he could hardly have imagined a year ago.

        "I miss Our Conor terribly," says the rider. "I would do anything to get back on him. But I have some great rides at Cheltenham. I have just been going through them, each race, one by one. Good ride in that, good ride in that, good ride in that. I have a good ride in most races. I just need to get there in one piece now."

        In the Hennessy Gold Cup at Leopardstown last month, he chose First instead of Last, he chose to ride First Lieutenant instead of Last Instalment. Gigginstown's running plans have not been finalised yet, but it is likely that, on anything other than very fast ground, Last Instalment will be their Gold Cup number one this year.

        "Last Instalment couldn't have been any more impressive than he was in the Hennessy," says Cooper. "Going to the second last fence, I thought that I was going to get to him on First Lieutenant, but then he just went away again and I couldn't get near him. Nobody could get near him. And Philip Fenton had said that there was improvement to come. He should be a great ride in the Gold Cup."

        First Lieutenant gained the Grade 1 win that his talent deserves at Aintree last year. Second to Cue Card in the Ryanair Chase at the 2013 Cheltenham Festival, it looks like his owner's race is the race for him again this year.

        "A decision will be made over the weekend, but if it comes up soft, it looks like the Ryanair is the race for him. Cue Card went a million miles and hour last year, and he was able to go with him. There is no Cue Card in the race this year. He is the class horse of the race."

        Don Cossack is on track for the RSA Chase.

        "He is in great form. He worked great on Sunday. We are still learning about him, but the step up to three miles could be the thing for him. He travels so well, he has a lot of speed, so I will ride him for speed, use his jumping."

        Tiger Roll in the Triumph Hurdle.

        "He was only having his second ever run in the Spring Juvenile Hurdle, and his first for Gordon (Elliott), so to get to within two lengths of Guitar Pete was a huge performance. I'd say there is a lot more improvement to come, and Cheltenham will suit him well. He will love the hustle and bustle of a Triumph Hurdle."

        Rule The World, appropriately, in the World Hurdle.

        "It's a tough race now, but you couldn't ignore him. He won well at Naas and he worked well the other day. Remember, he was only beaten by The New One in the Neptune Hurdle last year, and he is one of the favourites for the Champion Hurdle."

        Back Trifolium for the Arkle Trophy with Sky Bet!

        There are others. Lieutenant Colonel in the Neptune Hurdle, Bright New Dawn or Mozoltov in the JLT Chase, Valseur Lido in the Supreme, Savello and Thunder And Roses and a host of other possibilities in the handicaps. But ask Cooper to nominate the ride to which he is most looking forward, and he is unequivocal.

        "Trifolium in the Arkle. It's a hard race to win, but he is such a good jumper, and we know that he acts at Cheltenham. I have ridden him twice, and I have got a great ride off him both times. Charles (Byrnes) couldn't be happier with him. He could run a big race."

        But the young rider is not getting carried away.

        "Last year was brilliant. I remember thinking, I wouldn't mind doing this again. But if I could have just one winner this year, I would be delighted. Even one winner would be great."

        • For more of Donn's thoughts, visit www.donnmcclean.com

        Comment


        • #19
          Multiples Stake per Bet

          14:05 Chelt 11th Mar
          Trifolium
          Racing Post Arkle Chase NRNB
          5/1
          13:30 Chelt 12th Mar
          Lieutenant Colonel
          Neptune Novice Hurdle NRNB
          16/1
          14:05 Chelt 12th Mar
          Don Cossack
          RSA Chase NRNB
          12/1
          13:30 Chelt 13th Mar
          Bright New Dawn
          JLT Novices Chase NRNB
          14/1
          Lucky 15 (£1.00 x 15) EW

          £28,758.30

          Total Stake: £30.0

          Comment


          • #20
            Bryan Cooper's leg-break was yesterday described as "the worst fracture I have ever seen in a lower limb" by Dr. Adrian McGoldrick, Chief Medical Officer of the Turf Club.

            The Kerry jockey, who's season ended with a wretched fall on Clarcam last Wednesday, has been transferred to Frenchay hospital in Bristol where he today (Friday) underwent secondary surgery on the fracture.

            Cooper is expected to remain in England for the next 7-10 days as surgeons monitor the early stages of his recovery before releasing him to the likely care of Mr David Moore in Tallaght Hospital.

            The 21-year-old Gigginstown Stud reserved rider faces a lengthy absence from the saddle, though McGoldrick did stress "He will be back racing,that's the bottom line."

            Admitting that Cooper's injury required complex surgery, he explained: "It's what we call a compound fracture, a combination of it (the bone) coming through the skin, but there were multiple fragments too, which is the nature of a fall at that speed.

            "It's very much like you see with motorcyclists who come off motorbikes at high speed, but he got fantastic care on track from the team of doctors here and in Gloucester Hospital where Mr Curran is the leading surgeon in that area. Likewise he's gone down now under Mr Kelly at Frenchay overnight, so I'm very happy with the people taking care of him."

            McGoldrick visited Cooper on Thursday night, revealing "They cleaned it and stabilised the leg. They did an angiogram to test his circulation which was perfect and then he was transferred to Frenchay last evening for further surgery.

            "He'll have an external fixator put on today and he'll have bone grafting done to stabilise his leg. It will be very much the same type of procedure that Ruby Walsh had done in Belfast following his fall in Down Royal. So he will be in Frenchay for about ten days and then we'll take him back home and I would expect that we will have him followed up by Mr David Moore in Tallaght Hospital who is the Irish expert in that area."

            Asked how long he was likely to be out of the saddle, McGoldrick observed "It's much much too early to say. It's a very nasty injury.

            "We'll have some idea this evening after the secondary surgery but even then he'll obviously have to have x-rays over the next couple of months to see how the bone's heeling and then we'll have a better idea of how he is doing."

            Comment


            • #21
              the boy is back

              GIGGINSTOWN House Stud's retained rider Bryan Cooper will return from seven months out of the saddle at Limerick on Sunday.

              The rider, 22, severely broke his right leg when coming down with Clarcam in the Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March and had an injury described as "the worst fracture I have ever seen in a lower limb" by Adrian McGoldrick, chief medical officer for the Turf Club.

              Cooper is set to partner the Grade 1-winning four-year-old Guitar Pete in Sunday's Dunraven Arms Hotel Hurdle for trainer Dessie Hughes, former employer of the jockey before his high-profile switch to Gigginstown in January.

              Gigginstown's Clarcam and The Plan Man run in the same race on Sunday, but Hughes, Cooper and his owners felt that Guitar Pete was a more suitable comeback ride for the Kerry jockey.

              Cooper said on Friday: "The boss [Gigginstown's Michael O'Leary] is very kindly letting me ride Guitar Pete on Sunday. He is keen for me to come back with a nice ride, and hopefully a winner, and he advised me for that reason to ride Guitar Pete.

              "He is a horse I know very well and one of our two runners, Clarcam, is the horse I had the fall off, so all in all we just felt riding Guitar Pete might be the best choice for a comeback ride."

              Guitar Pete is Cooper's only mount with Gigginstown not represented in any other races.

              Comment


              • #22
                Good to see he is back in the saddle. Was limping last time I saw him which was within last month. Hopefully he will get a clear run at it for a while.

                Comment


                • #23
                  Aftertiming I know but the decision to ride Guitar Pete and more precisely lose on a Guitar Pete won't have won Bryan many brownie points with the O'Leary's. Don't bite the hand.

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Originally posted by Morning Glory View Post
                    Aftertiming I know but the decision to ride Guitar Pete and more precisely lose on a Guitar Pete won't have won Bryan many brownie points with the O'Leary's. Don't bite the hand.
                    I seen an interview with Bryan before the race(few days before). He said it was O'Leary who told him to ride Guitar Pete as 1) it was his best chance to return with a win for his confidence (only ride) and 2) they discussed that it perhaps wasn't best for him to return on Clarcam as that was the horse he fell off and shattered his leg.
                    I think if O'Leary had wanted him on the horse he would have been on it. More important to him to have their no1 back on the saddle with a clear round.

                    P.s I am back to 0 posts and all my previous posts have been deleted as I was mistakenly banned lol. They were clearing out spammers and I got threw out by mistake. email to the website and a tweet to fatjockey sorted it but all my previous drivel is gone

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Originally posted by KingSprinterSacre View Post
                      I seen an interview with Bryan before the race(few days before). He said it was O'Leary who told him to ride Guitar Pete as 1) it was his best chance to return with a win for his confidence (only ride) and 2) they discussed that it perhaps wasn't best for him to return on Clarcam as that was the horse he fell off and shattered his leg.
                      I think if O'Leary had wanted him on the horse he would have been on it. More important to him to have their no1 back on the saddle with a clear round.

                      P.s I am back to 0 posts and all my previous posts have been deleted as I was mistakenly banned lol. They were clearing out spammers and I got threw out by mistake. email to the website and a tweet to fatjockey sorted it but all my previous drivel is gone
                      Apologies again KSS - a fat finger moment from me.

                      definitely not all drivel either

                      For those that weren't around KSS won last years Mullins festival targets challenge.

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Originally posted by Old Vic View Post
                        Apologies again KSS - a fat finger moment from me.

                        definitely not all drivel either

                        For those that weren't around KSS won last years Mullins festival targets challenge.
                        No worries at all

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Originally posted by KingSprinterSacre View Post
                          I seen an interview with Bryan before the race(few days before). He said it was O'Leary who told him to ride Guitar Pete as 1) it was his best chance to return with a win for his confidence (only ride) and 2) they discussed that it perhaps wasn't best for him to return on Clarcam as that was the horse he fell off and shattered his leg.
                          I think if O'Leary had wanted him on the horse he would have been on it. More important to him to have their no1 back on the saddle with a clear round.

                          P.s I am back to 0 posts and all my previous posts have been deleted as I was mistakenly banned lol. They were clearing out spammers and I got threw out by mistake. email to the website and a tweet to fatjockey sorted it but all my previous drivel is gone

                          welcome back KSS

                          Bryan won for his boss yesterday so all is well with the world.

                          I could be misjudging them but have impression of O'Leary's like lots of rich men of bing tough taskmasters.

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Great podcast on this link


                            Comment


                            • #29
                              Cuaght napping today I think but ...





                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Not too shabby there on Don Cossack.

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