David Probert Newbury blog: 'He should be in the mix'

David Probert shares his thoughts on his rides at Newbury tomorrow in his latest exclusive blog with Coral.

He ran a cracking race just six days ago in the Group One Flying Five Stakes at the Curragh, coming home in sixth place of 18 runners. He seems to be improving all the time. This is clearly an easier assignment than he faced last time. If he produces a similar performance, he should be in the mix at the finish.

This hose’s best form has come when there is give in the ground, so we don’t want things to dry up too much. He is just 2lb higher than his last winning mark now and he seems in good form at home. My big concern though is the ground.

I rode this horse at Ascot back in July when he was runner-up, beaten less than a length. He has also been declared to run in the final race on Friday, so if he does feature there, he won’t run on Saturday. He is a dual C&D winner, so he likes it at Newbury.

We have always thought a lot of this horse. He got the job done on his debut at Salisbury, albeit by a nose. This is a big step up in grade for him, but I think he will improve for his first start. Whatever he does in this race, he is going to be a lovely horse for next season.

Richard Fahey’s runner, Powerful Glory, is likely to be the one we all have to beat. He could not have been any more impressive at Pontefract on his debut. Shadow Of Light and Defence Minister also look like smart horses.

I don’t know too much about this horse. He is making his debut on the track. I rode a two-year-old to victory for Edward Smith-Osborne last week and I am hopeful I can do the same again here.

This is another two-year-old making his debut. I have ridden plenty of two-year-olds for Amanda Perrett this year and they are always well prepared for the track. I am sure this gelding is ready to put his best foot forward.

He has improved from a mark of 79 up to an official rating of 87 this season. He is a horse who likes them to go a good gallop in the race. If there is a lot of early pace here, he will have a good chance of picking them off late on.

He has an opening handicap mark of 86 now after three decent runs. His sole success came 

over this distance at Chelmsford last month. I think he has a good chance on handicap debut. It looks like a competitive contest, but I’d be disappointed if we were not in the mix.

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