Newcastle Saturday

Jenningsbet Northumberland Plate

CALLING The Wind finally got his moment in the spotlight when storming home to land the Jenningsbet Northumberland Plate for Richard Hughes and jockey Neil Callan.

The 14/1 chance is ultra-consistent in the big staying handicaps, but has been the bridesmaid on multiple occasions, most recently when placed again in the Ascot Stakes.

Well ridden by the in-form Callan, he swept into the lead with a furlong to run and withheld the late charge of ante-post gamble Golden Rules (Deborah Faulkner/Oisin Murphy). The winning trainer immediately nominated the Ebor as the gelding’s next big target.

In the Northumberland Vase, victory went to La Hacienda, ridden by Harry Davies for Co Meath handler Matthew Smith, and the mare was well supported into an SP of 11/1.

This was a fine training performance, as the Free Eagle mare had made her belated seasonal debut just over a week prior to this contest, and she was backing up the improvement she had shown when gaining placed blacktype in the Listed His Majesty’s Plate at Down Royal.

Tiber battles

Tiber Flow provided trainer William Haggas and jockey Tom Marquand with back-to-back victories in the Group 3 Chipchase Stakes at Newcastle, following Sense Of Duty’s impressive success 12 months ago.

A course winner who was just beaten on All-Weather Championships Finals Day last year, Tiber Flow was well supported into an SP of 5/2, and although he was made to work hard for victory, he dug deep to get past the gallant Spycatcher (Karl Burke/Clifford Lee), who hit the front with two furlongs to go, and battled bravely to the line, going down by a neck.

The winner now has an all-weather record which reads 11121, and while effective on good ground, seems ideally suited by the stiff six furlongs at Newcastle, so it will be interesting to see how he fares through the turf season.

Maureen Haggas, assistant to her husband, said: “It’s hard work today and he just ground it out really.

“He’s a sweet horse with a great temperament. He won a listed race at Newbury last year so to win a Group 3 is really nice. William will work out where to go.”

Newcastle Friday

A DROP in class was expected to allow 2022 Prix de Diane and Nassau Stakes winner Nashwa (John and Thady Gosden) to get back to winning ways in the Group 3 Hoppings Stakes at Newcastle last Friday, and she was sent off the 8/11 favourite under Hollie Doyle, who set out to dictate matters from the front.

Nashwa raced freely in front, and although looking the likely winner early in the straight, began to hang left, and as she tired inside the final furlong, Al Husn (Roger Varian/Jim Crowley) finished strongly, collaring her close home to prevail by half a length. The first two may well clash again in the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood next month.

Newmarket Saturday

THE Group 3 Criterion Stakes, sponsored by Cavani, saw Pogo attempting to bounce back (sorry) from some uncharacteristic efforts in a race he won in 2022, but while he ran his usual game race back under ideal conditions, he was no match for Audience (John and Thady Gosden/Rab Havlin), who raced alone on the far rail and ran out a two-length winner at the rewarding odds of 14/1, with Pogo coming out worst in a head-bob for second with Jumby (Eve Johnson Houghton/William Buick).

Audience ended up apart from his rivals by accident rather than design, with the winner hanging left after leading from his low draw.

This was a first pattern win for the son of Iffraaj, who has clicked since being gelded and ridden positively in a hood, this race his first since winning a competitive Leicester handicap in October.

He won by a wide margin at Leicester but also tended to edge left there, and his campaign may need to account for that trait.

Goodwood’s Lennox Stakes is an obvious next step for Audience, but the track there may be less suitable for him, and there are similar Group 2 options at Newbury and York in the same timeframe.

The Empress Fillies’ Stakes produced the subsequent Cheveley Park Stakes winner Lezoo in 2022, and Star of Mystery (Charlie Appleby/William Buick) might be in the same class as she produced the second wide-margin win of her short career at Newmarket on Saturday.

Star Of Mystery – sent off a warm order at 4/5 – broke well and took a keen hold, but she always looked comfortable in Buick’s hands and breezed to the front a furlong out before pulling four lengths clear of Johnny Portman’s Cry Fiction at the line.

There were similar gaps between second and third, and back to the fourth, all of whom were previous winners, and the margin would have been bigger had Buick not taken things easy on the run to the line.

The Princess Margaret Stakes at Ascot could be the winner’s next port of call, but Appleby has his eye on one race in particular.

“I think we’ll work back from the Cheveley Park,” said the winning trainer. “I don’t realistically see Star of Mystery as a Guineas horse, unless they shorten the race by a couple of furlongs, as her pedigree is all speed.”

There has been a lot of talk about Charlie Appleby’s form in recent weeks, but while he endured a disappointing time at Epsom and Royal Ascot, he keeps churning out winners, and 16 from 55 since the start of June does not represent the crisis many are painting the season to be.

Kemari (James Doyle) gave him the second of three winners on the Newmarket card by beating game outsider Outbox (Archie Watson/Hollie Doyle) by half a length, although the 7/1 winner was snubbed by stable jockey William Buick, who rode third-placed New London.

AS well as the televised win for Matthew Smith in the Northumberland Vase, three other Irish trainers were on the mark in Britain in the last seven days, with Gordon Elliott saddling An Mhi (Sean Bowen) to land the opening novice hurdle at Uttoxeter on Sunday.

On the same day, Cian Collins and Denis O’Regan teamed up to land a Cartmel handicap hurdle with Fiveonefive, and Stuart Crawford ended the week with a winner with I Love My Baie taking the maiden hurdle at Perth in the double-green of Munir and Souede.

Daryl Jacob did the steering and predicted a bright future for the winner when tackling longer trips.