David Probert blog: ‘Rockstar Icon showed a lovely attitude at Lingfield’

In his first exclusive blog as a Coral ambassador, David Probert shares his thoughts on his rides at Newmarket this weekend.

The season has gone really well so far, I’m riding for a good group of trainers, and hopefully the winners can keep coming. This is a big weekend as the jockeys’ championship kicks-off, so let’s hope I don’t now go on the cold list!

I start the day on Sterling Knight, a grand horse I’ve won a couple of times on in the past. He was ultra consistent last year, on turf and through the winter on the all-weather, and for good reason he’s a real favourite in the Ed Dunlop yard. 

He ran at Doncaster last weekend, finishing a really good third, and that should bring him on again, so in a competitive race, I can see him having a decent each-way chance.

 Sterling Knight odds: 16/1

I rode this horse to finish fifth at Newmarket last month, his first start since finishing fourth in last season’s Cambridgeshire, a race he’d won the year before. 

He loves this track, and he won’t mind if there’s any more rain and the ground softens. I’ve ridden a few winners for Jack [Channon] this year, and this is a horse I’m really looking forward to riding.

Majestic odds: 9/1

A big runner for the Coral Racing Club, I was lucky enough to be on board when he won at Lingfield on New Year’s Eve. 

He’s working well by all accounts, and while this is a big field and a big step up in grade, he’s lightly raced, and the fact he’s starting his 3-year-old season off here says how well he’s going at home. 

I was really pleased with his attitude at Lingfield, we were entitled to win but he still had to overcome a wide draw, and he won well, with the first two pulling well clear of the field. 

A couple of winners have come out of the race too, so if he’s progressed from that, there’s no reason he can’t be competitive here.

Rockstar Icon odds: 11/1