Newcastle Saturday
THE Group 3 Betfair Backs Racing Welfare Chipchase Stakes perfectly showcased a day where old warriors came to the fore, and the feel-good factor dominated.
Eight-year-old Judicial (Julie Camacho/Callum Rodriguez) shrugged off concerns about the stiff six furlongs to provide backers with a 9/1 winner as he stayed on strongly to deny the Kevin Ryan-trainer pair Brando (Tom Eaves) and Major Jumbo (Kevin Stott) by one and a half lengths and a nose in a race run in driving rain. Mubakker, a heavily supported 13/8 favourite ran badly to be last, but was reported by the vet to be coughing post-race.
The winner has long had a reputation as a problem horse, and used to bolt when with Roger Charlton as a youngster. He has never worked upsides another horse since moving to Julie Camacho, merely breezing behind distant targets on the home gallops, and that has perhaps preserved his enthusiasm for racing.
Steve Brown, husband and assistant of the winning trainer said afterwards: “He keeps surprising us. When they get to eight you just wonder if they’re going to start regressing a touch, but he’s as good as ever.
“There was a question whether he would stay a stiff six furlongs, but he’s helping you now. As for the July Cup, we can now enter six days ahead so we can see what’s in and see how he is.”
Cosy for Nkosikazi
THE other Group 3 on Newcastle’s most prestigious day was a weak race for the grade, but it provided an excellent opportunity for the consistent Nkosikazi (William Haggas/Tom Marquand) to belatedly get some winners’ blacktype at the age of five in the Hoppings Fillies’ Stakes.
The daughter of Cape Cross, the 9/4 second choice in a field of five, had gained her two previous wins in handicaps at Redcar, but she had helped her cause as a broodmare when placed in a listed contest at Lingfield in the autumn.
She looked better than ever when winning at the Cleveland circuit last month, defying a mark of 90. Here she built on that, making all the running under a clever ride, and continually finding when challenged by favourite Virgin Snow (Ed Dunlop/Ben Curtis). The winner is thoroughly genuine, but there is little doubt she’s flattered by the bare facts of this success, and she will be hard to place, not that connections will mind given this boost to her paddock prospects.
THE big race of the day for the punters was the Northumberland Plate, but this wasn’t the strongest field ever assembled for the historic handicap, albeit with the market leaders coming to the fore.
Newcastle University alumnus Hugo Palmer achieved one of his big ambitions in winning the contest with 9/2 favourite Caravan Of Hope (Harry Bentley), who scored readily in the colours of Dr Ali Ridha, a big supporter of the Kremlin Cottage handler.
Ante-post favourite Australis ran well for second, ahead of Collide, thereby denying Palmer a one-two.
Caspian Prince has been a star for owner Stephen Louch, and particularly in Derby week. The 11-year-old gelding has carried Louch’s colours to victory in the Epsom Dash three times for three different trainers, and with that race missing from the Derby undercard this year, he did the next best thing by landing the Gosforth Park Cup, showing all his old dash to get the better of Ornate by halfway (no mean feat), and kept galloping to repel all challengers under Tom Marquand.
Marquand was especially pleased to have gained this win, as he used to ride out on this horse as a schoolboy. Now trained by Mick Appleby, and part owned by him, Caspian Prince has been a huge credit to all who have been involved with him over the years.