David Probert Royal Ascot day one rides blog: 'He really surprised us'

David Probert is back, ahead of a big week of horse racing, with his Royal Ascot day one rides blog. He previews his action on June 17 with Coral readers.

Royal Ascot is always one of the biggest weeks of the year on the Flat calendar, and I am very excited for the latest renewal of the meeting. We look set for a glorious week of sunshine, and the ground should be perfect for many horses. 

I’ve got some good rides across the week, starting with day one, where I have three mounts.

I start the week in the Coventry Stakes on board a Bated Breath colt from Clive Cox’s yard. He took me by surprise when he broke his maiden at the first attempt at Leicester back in April. He was very professional that day, and when he met the rising ground, he hit the line well.

Clive has him in good order at home, so we think he will take another step forward from that first run. We know this is a tough race, as several of these are unexposed and could be anything. But, you’ve got to be in to win it, and we think our horse deserves his place in the field.

This horse finished second in this race last year off a 2lb lower mark. He looks like he flopped in the Chester Cup on his latest appearance, but it was a messy race, so he can be forgiven for that run. 

I’ll ride him to have plenty of cover. He stays well, and hopefully, we will finish the race strongly past some tired horses. It’s a great ride to pick up for Harry Eustace. I’ve had some luck for him over the last few months, and it would be great to ride a Royal Ascot winner for him.

Finally, I am on board Real Dream in the Copper Horse Stakes. This horse won over this C&D when he was trained by Sir Michael Stoute. If he can produce some of his old form, he will be in the mix as he is back down to what looks to be a workable mark.

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