Newcastle Saturday
JenningsBet Northumberland Plate (Heritage Handicap)
ALIGN The Stars (Charlie Johnston/Danny Muscutt) landed the weekend’s feature handicap, the JenningsBet Northumberland Plate, known colloquially as the ‘Pitmen’s Derby’, getting the better of a battle with Kirchner (James Owen/Cieren Fallon) for a 10/1 success, with the winner bagging the coveted stands-side rail to score by a length and a quarter, with the front two close up from the outset in a race where the gallop held up better than in the Chipchase.
Johnston said: “It’s a plan that’s been a while in coming. After he won the Queen’s Vase at Kempton, we thought this race was the obvious target, but the wheels came off last year. Thankfully, Tony Farmer, his owner, was very patient.
“We regrouped over the winter, gelded him, and things have come back. Being a man local to York, Tony’s ultimate ambition in life would be to win the Ebor, so I’m sure that will be his big season target and he’ll probably go to Goodwood for the race he won a couple of seasons ago between now and then.”
Lennox on the cards
Paborus (Ed Bethell/Callum Rodriguez) put himself in the picture for major sprint honours as he ran out an authoritative winner of the Group 3 Jenningsbet Chipchase Stakes at Newcastle on Saturday. The lightly-raced five-year-old was snapped up by Wathnan Racing after winning at Thirsk last April, although his only subsequent run last term was when third in the Criterion Stakes at York a year ago.
He showed that a bit of time had done him no harm here, looking fit beforehand and picking up well when ridden at halfway to reel in the leaders over a furlong out. From there, he kept on well to keep Marvelman (Andrew Balding/P J McDonald) at bay by a length and a half, with Symbol of Honour (Charlie Appleby/William Buick) a further length and a quarter back in third.
Bethell said: “We’re very grateful to have a nice horse like this. I thought he’d definitely need the run as he’s not done much work at home, and he stripped big there today. I’d imagine he’ll take a big step forward. He’s had niggling issues since York, so we’ve had to be patient, but they’ve done a fantastic job with him over the winter. I’ll speak to the Wathnan team, but the Lennox [at Goodwood] was always the plan.”
York Saturday
QIRAT (Ralph Beckett/Silvestre de Sousa) produced one of the shocks of all time, when winning the Sussex Stakes at 150/1 last season. He did bookmakers another good turn when proving too game for warm favourite Never So Brave (Andrew Balding/Oisin Murphy) by a length and a half in the Group 3 Criterion Stakes at York on Saturday, giving the former champion jockey a first domestic Group win since 2024.
De Sousa was aboard Qirat for the first time and he made almost all the running on the 8/1 chance, who has a reputation as a difficult ride, but looked more straightforward than the runner-up when push came to shove in the closing stages.
“He was tough, considering he was a bit hot at the gates,” de Sousa said. “I had the determination to go forward and he responded well under pressure. The more you ask, the more he gives.
“The ground wasn’t fast, there was kindness in it, and that helped him. To me, he’s a horse who wants to go a bit further than seven furlongs and I wouldn’t be surprised if later on you see some cheekpieces on to help him travel better.”
Adam Kite, assistant to winning trainer Ralph Beckett, said: “He stays a mile, so I said to Silvestre to set sail for home plenty early enough. We popped a tongue-tie on him after he disappointed a bit at Epsom, and he’s got to the stage where little tweaks can make a big difference. There’s Goodwood again and he can come back here for the City of York. He’s the type of horse who can dance every dance.”
Around the tracks
ON the undercard at York on Saturday, Sirocco Sands (David Marnane/Robbie Colgan) won the six-furlong novice in the style of a very useful juvenile and connections are mulling a repeat trip for the Gimcrack Stakes next month.
The Persian Force colt, who was bought by owners MRC International for €65,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland September sale, had shown promise in two previous runs at Cork and the Curragh, and showed the benefit of that experience as he travelled powerfully and quickened clear to beat dual winner Furturra at odds of 9/2.
Noel Kelly and Gordon Elliott do particularly well with their summer raiders in the UK and both were on the mark on Sunday, with Elliott striking with odds-on favourite Flying Ace (Harry Skelton) in a novice hurdle at Uttoxeter, adding top previous gains at Cartmel and Perth, while Kelly and rider Oran McGill scored with 85/40 favourite Fort Randall in the two-mile handicap chase at Cartmel. At Stratford on Tuesday, father/son team Shark and Paddy Hanlon combined to land the two-and-a-half-mile handicap chase with the home-bred Lakefield Flyer, who scored at odds of 11/2.