The David Probert Horses Pontypridd Locals Should Mark in Their Diaries


If you’re a fan of horse racing, the summer is the best time of year! The National Hunt season is electric, but there’s nothing like watching the nags eat up the firm ground in the classic events. Pontypridd residents will also love the fact that the sport has a local in its midst — David Probert.

The Welsh jockey was born in Bargoed, which is only around 25 minutes north-east of Pontypridd. Seeing as he’s a local, it makes sense to cheer him on in the hope that he reflects positively on the area. Thankfully, a couple of Probert’s main rides this season suggest he’ll do just that.

Bangkok, Juddmonte International Stakes

Bangkok wasn’t a contender for the Juddmonte until his victory in the York Stakes at York. Under Probert, the colt managed to beat Aiden O’Brien’s Armory and the highly-fancied Mohaafeth, who was ridden by Jim Crowley. In somewhat of a surprise, he kicked on under Probert and beat them both in a thrilling contest.

That form very much puts him in contention for the Juddmonte International Stakes, especially as the two rivals he recently beat have entered. The betting now ranks them as 16/1 and 25/1 outsiders, which shows the quality of Bangkok. However, the trainer hasn’t guaranteed that the colt will make it back to York in August for the Juddmonte festival as the horse has yet to be entered. Of course, it’s very likely that he will be, and after his York Stakes performance, you wouldn’t like to back against him.


Yes, there are a couple of quality runners in the race, including Palace Pier at 5/1 and Mishriff at 4/1. The latter, incidentally, almost upset the odds when he was just beaten by a few lengths to the Epsom Derby winner, Adayar. Regardless, Probert has proven that he can take on bigger and well-fancied competitors before and win, so nothing is stopping him from doing it again.

Sandrine, 1,000 Guineas

The 1,000 Guineas is quite a while off. Indeed, it’s not until May 2022 until the classic will be hosted by the Newmarket Racecourse. Still, the talk of which three-year-old filly will follow in Love’s footsteps has already started, mainly because people are impatient and mainly because Love set the event alight. She may have been beaten by Adayar at King George, but her 16-length winning margin won’t be forgotten soon.

It turns out that Sandrine is at the top of the horse racing betting along with Inspiral. Both are quoted at 14/1 and 12/1 respectively, but it’s the former that has a lot of buzz around her after she claimed the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes in emphatic fashion. That supplemented her Royal Ascot and proved that she wasn’t a one-hit-wonder. Inspiral has usurped her at the head of the betting for now; however, the to and fro from both highlights how little there is between them.

David Probert may not be as prolific as some of the biggest names in the sport, but he’s a top-class jockey and books quality rides. Hopefully, David Probert’s Sandrine will have the edge and do it for Wales and Pontypridd.


You may also like...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *