No crowds, but David is glad to be back on track
EMPTY stands, next to no atmosphere, success met with almost total silence.
Life in the new sporting normal is very different.
The footballers of Swansea City and Cardiff City will discover just how different when they resume their Championship campaigns on Saturday.
But for David Probert, one of Wales’s most successful professional sportsmen, this is the new life he has been immersed in for the past fortnight.
Probert, who hails from Bargoed in the Rhymney Valley, is one of the top flat jockeys in the UK.
And when he rode at Kempton on June 2, he broke new ground as the first Welshman to take part in a British sporting fixture since the lockdown restrictions were eased.
He came back with a bang, partnering Hold Fast to a half-length success in a race televised live by Racing TV but watched by just a smattering of people on course.
Neither did the 30-year-old get the chance to properly celebrate the milestone of reaching 1,000 career wins in Britain — a not insignificant achievement — as he steered 7-1 shot Tronada to victory at Lingfield last week.
No celebratory embraces from winning connections, no handshakes from colleagues. Not even a kind word from the horse’s owner, with the people who ultimately pay the bills not yet allowed to attend race meetings.
It is a strange, yet necessary, state of affairs with the country still in the grip of the coronavirus pandemic which closed down most of society.
And it is even more surreal this week. Not only will top-level football return without spectators, but Royal Ascot also takes place behind closed doors. Not a top hat in sight, never mind the Queen.
So how is Probert coming to terms with the new way of doing things?
A NEW EXISTENCE LIKE everyone who
attends
race meetings, Probert is tested for Covid19 regularly.
Social distancing is applied in the paddock, while saunas, a key weapon in a jockey’s armoury in the constant battle against the scales, are no-go areas. Likewise, showers are out of bounds. On top of that, face masks are worn during races.
“It was strange coming to terms with a different regime,” he says. “Now we get tested at the course, one-way systems have been put in place and the weighing rooms have been moved to the stands.
“I’ve worn masks on some allweather tracks before because of the kickback. They can get irritating when it’s warm, but everyone is in the same boat and you have to abide by the rules.
“We are slowly getting used to it and every racecourse has done an amazing job in keeping us separate.
“Hopefully we’ll get back to some kind of normality soon, and there are signs that the situation is improving.”
NOTCHING up 1,000 winners is no small matter for a jockey.
For Probert it is part of a journey that began with his first ride in public in 2006, his first winner a year later and then sharing the champion apprentice title with William Buick in 2008.
Classic glory has so far eluded him – he came closest when riding Tip Two Win into second in the 2000 Guineas in 2018 – but there have been a host of career highlights which include riding more than 100 winners in a year on three separate occasions.
“It’s been a crazy few months, but it was great to come back and reach the milestone,” he adds.
“There was a mixture of joy and relief. I’ve had a great start since we came back and a lot of support from stables and it helps when you’re on the right horses.
“I still remember my first winner at Wolverhampton in 2007 on Mountain Pass for Bernard Llewellyn. If you’d told me back then I’d ride 1,000 winners I’d have laughed at you.
“I had one of my best years in 2019 with 112 winners and before lockdown my agent Neil Allan told me we were getting close.
“It’s a big milestone.
“I’ve had plenty of support from a lot of different trainers and I can’t thank them enough. I still haven’t found the one horse who can take me to Group 1 or Classic level, but you never know what might turn up.”
■ Stradivarius produced a scintillating performance to make history by becoming just the third horse to win three successive Gold Cups at Royal Ascot yesterday.
Frankie Dettori bided his time, on rain-softened ground which was thought to be unsuitable for John Gosden’s remarkable staying superstar, before closing on long-time leader and eventual runner-up Nayef Road and then streaking clear to win by 10 lengths.
Dettori said: “I’m so proud of the horse. He’s been a joy to be around. He’ll go down as one of the great stayers, like Yeats and Sagaro. Who knows, maybe we’ll try for for next year.”