DAVID Probert was called on by Sir Michael Stoute to ride the King George runner-up Crystal Ocean against Enable in her comeback run in Kempton’s September Stakes on Saturday.

Being asked to ride this top-class performer for an outside stable is a real feather in Probert’s cap. Stoute said before the race: “He has a good strike rate for us. He’s very capable.”

Enable made all to win impressively, and Crystal Ocean couldn’t get on terms with her. Probert told the Racing Post: "I was happy enough down the back but with the five pound penalty it was hard to serve it up to Enable properly in the straight. He handled the surface well and if Sir Michael wants to take him to the Arc he's run a nice prep, make no mistake."

Stoute mentioned Crystal Ocean has a variety of alternative options.

That was in the 2.05 at Kempton, and Probert then dashed down the road to ride another for the multiple classic-winning trainer in the 3.55 at Ascot. His record for Stoute this year is 0-6 on turf but 3-7 on the all-weather.

Probert had been in action at Haydock the day before, when he partnered a 100/1 shot to victory. Lola’s Theme had shown little in two races on the all-weather prior to this, but she handled the very soft going better than the rest. Getting a run by the stands rail helped, and the hood she’d worn previously was dispensed with.

Penhow’s Robert Stephens supplied the only locally-trained winner in the last week. His four-year-old Street Jester had shown nothing in five runs over a variety of distances. Then, after an eight month break, he surprised many by finishing third at Wetherby, beaten a length, at odds of 66/1. That was over two miles, as was his next outing at Lingfield when he disappointed connections, coming in eighth. Tried over a mile and five at Bath last week, everything clicked and he won at 25/1.

That was the first race of the first meeting at Bath since their enforced break, waiting for the ground to lose its heatwave-induced firmness. Jockey Liam Jones said Street Jester loved the track and he is entered in a similar event there on Sunday.

The continuing ground repairs at Chepstow mean that tomorrow’s meeting will take place at Ffos Las instead. Next Tuesday’s fixture has been transferred to Lingfield. None of this affects the hurdle or chase tracks and the management is looking forward to the Jump Season Opener weekend on 13-14 October, which is an increasingly important launch pad for horses that go on to contest big races elsewhere.

Chepstow’s flat season has ended with Herefordshire trainer Ed de Giles finishing top of the trainers’ table with seven wins, three of them courtesy of Quantum Dot. The horse has now won six times over the five furlong course. David Evans had six winners and John O’Shea from Gloucestershire chipped in with five.