The leading Welsh flat jockey David Probert rode his 1,000th winner in Britain last night aboard Tronada for trainer Alan King at Lingfield Park.
Born in Bargoed in 1988, he took up pony racing at an early age and at 16 he went to the British Racing School at Newmarket. From there he joined Andrew Balding’s stable as an apprentice, but had just a single ride in 2006 and only one winner from 46 attempts the following year. That was Mountain Pass, trained a few miles from his home by Bernard Llewellyn. However, everything was about to change. In 2008 he rode 50 winners to become joint champion apprentice with William Buick. He’s never ridden less than that number in any subsequent season.
He won the At The Races Ride of the Month Award for October 2019 for an amazing last-to-first triumph on Landa Beach at Ascot. A few weeks later he was crowned Jockey of the Year at the Welsh Horse Racing Awards, and he finished the year with a personal best of 112 winners.
Probert’s victory on Born In Bombay in the 2014 Britannia Handicap is his sole Royal Ascot winner to date. He is still searching for that elusive Group 1 winner, coming closest with a second place in the 2,000 Guineas.
Here are five of the best horses he has ridden:
Tip Two Win
Winner of two valuable races in Qatar before finishing runner-up in the 2018 2,000 Guineas behind Saxon Warrior. That was a top-class performance, for just behind him were that year’s Derby hero Masar and Roaring Lion, who won three Group 1s later that year.
Dancing Star
This three-year-old filly, in the same colours and family of Lochsong, won a big handicap at Newmarket’s July meeting in 2016 and the Stewards’ Cup at Glorious Goodwood the following month.
Foxtrot Lady
In 2018 this filly won the same big July meeting handicap in 2018 that her sister Dancing Star won two years before, in the same ownership. She made a promising comeback at Kempton last Wednesday 3rd June.
Here Comes When
Probert rode this future Sussex Stakes winner to take a Group 2 at Germany’s premier racing festival at Baden-Baden in 2014. It was the second time he’d ridden the winner of this particular race.
Manifold
Probert has ridden in several countries and won a classic at Mumbai in 2018, partnering this filly to victory in the Indian Oaks. Two weeks later he rode her to finish third against the colts in the Indian Derby.
