David Probert (photographed) bagged one of his biggest wins since returning to Britain when landing the Henry II Stakes at Sandown in midweek. And the Bargoed-born jockey did so with a highly polished ride on Dubai Future in one of the season’s leading staying events.
Wales’ leading flat jockey headed back to Britain in the spring after a winter spent in Hong Kong. And he made a mark almost immediately when taking the Group 3 Dubai Duty Free Stakes – better known as the Fred Darling – on board Sukanya at Newbury in April.
This victory on Dubai Future doubled Probert’s tally of Group 3 successes since the season started.
Probert made a forward move on the Godolphin-owned gelding as the runners were about to leave the back straight, taking his mount from mid-pack to loom alongside the front-running Further. He then kicked again at the three-furlong pole, opening a three-length advantage on his rivals.
It proved a race-winning move. The odds-on shot Sweet William hit top gear in the final 200 yards but could not quite close the gap and Dubai Future held on to win by a fast-diminishing neck.
The 10-year-old will now be aimed at the Ascot Gold Cup at the Royal meeting later this month, a race in which he finished a distant third last year. Probert has ridden the veteran on both his starts in the UK this year – they finished fourth in the Sagaro Stages in May – and is in pole position to take the ride in the showpiece race of the meeting.
Meanwhile, Ffos Las opens its doors for its summer of flat racing this week, with the most successful horse in the course’s history in line for his seasonal return.
Zambezi Magic is fast becoming a Ffos Las icon. He has won on no fewer than seven occasions at the Carmarthenshire track since his first appearance there in 2021. Two of those victories came last year, while on top of that he has finished second at the track twice and third once.
Trainer Bernard Llewellyn has entered the nine-year-old in the concluding 1m 3f handicap, though Zambezi Magic has yet to win at a distance of more than 10 furlongs. Zambezi Magic is one of several entries Mid Glamorgan handler Llewellyn has made for Thursday evening’s meeting, which gets under way at 6.20pm.
He is one of several Welsh trainers to be targeting the meeting, with the likes of Grace Harris, David Evans, Thomas Faulkner and the father and son combination of John and Rhys Flint also poised to be represented.
Certainly the Welsh will be hoping to build on the momentum they generated at Ffos Las’s sister track Chepstow last week, when Harris, Faulkner and Christopher all
saddled winners.
On the jumping front, champion jockey Sean Bowen ended May with 24 winners to his name, a decent haul as he sets his sights on Tony McCoy’s record total of 289 winners in a season. But he is one behind early pacesetter Harry Skelton.
