Saturday 29th JUne
By SP2A Analysis
Newcastle 3.10 Northumberland Plate Handicap - Class 2 - 2 miles 1/2 furlong - 20 run
At the top of the market I'm not sure of the value of Sir Mark Prescott's Trooper Bisdee, a facile winner of a couple of Class 4 races, clearly in form , but this is much deeper and the horse doesn't have the AW form that I'm ideally looking for. Grand Providence has some AW form but not here and not as far as i can see on Tapeta surface. Yashin steps up in trip and also lacks AW form and True Legend is also stepping up markedly in trip.
There looks to be sufficient pace on here to make it a true test, the fear is always a dawdle and then a 5 furlong Sprint and whilst that sort of race might suit the likes of Rathgar and Evaluation, I discarded them in my final short list, together with Onesmoothoperator, from the always feared Ellison yard here also upped in trip and most reluctantly Zoffee, a Chester cup winner for us, winner of the Vase Consolation race here in 2022 but out of the back in this last year and Spartan Army, who ran well here in January but who was ultimately my 5th best rated.
I am most keen on 3 horses, I'd like to flag up Duke Of Oxford though, if you want to attack the enhanced places, he has finished 2nd and 3rd on last couple of Course visits over Course and Distance and whose run at Chester can be very much excused by a Draw in the Car Park.
HOWTH is my top rated selection, Mick Appelby has patiently waited for this race since AW Championship Day and the lack of a run since is a tip in itself, this horse will have done plenty of work in the meantime and is a confident selection. SPIRIT MIXER who looks to have a nice berth in Stall 6 was runner up in this race in 2022 off a mark of 97, missed a large chunk of last season but looked to be really coming to hand last time out and a mark of 91 jumps off the page.ZEALANDIA is a Course and Distance winner off a mark of 88 on New Years Day when the track would have ridden much deeper, so stamina will be this one's main asset and the harder they go the better, it's another one that looks primed. (TA)