The Northumberland Plate also known as the Pitmens Derby is run at Newcastle at the end of June each year. The race run over two miles is limited to twenty runners and is a thorough stamina test. I love the stayers races but this one is always difficult to solve and can produce big price winners. I cannot resist the challenge every year ! This year it will be run on heavy ground. A low draw is an advantage. Nosferatu whose trainer Amanda Perrett won the race in 2002 with Bangalore is the antepost favourite but has a high draw. Colloquial whose trainer Henry Candy won the race in 1986 with Sneak Preview also has a high draw. Greenwich Meantime, another with a high draw, has already won the Chester Cup this year but shown his best form on good ground. He was third in this race last year when River Alhaarth was second. River Alhaarth does act on any going and has a reasonable draw. His trainer, Peter Chapple-Hyam, has his horses in fine form and River Alhaarth could go one better this year. Leg Spinner ran fourth in the Ascot Stakes and Juniper Girl ran second. Juniper Girl does act on the heavy ground which is the going forecast for Newcastle. They could be the dangers. Be lucky. For all the runners and riders visit the sporting life. For all the runners and riders with the jockey's colours go to Paddy Power and click on "Horse Racing".

Five fabulous days racing from Royal Ascot were brillantly covered by the BBC and ATR for the armchair viewer. That there is no such thing as a certainty was clearly evident on day one with the defeats of Cockney Rebel and George Washington. Both were expected to win but it transpires that Cockney Rebel fractured his pelvis while George Washington was clearly ring rusty. Not surprising considering he had been at stud and had quite a few wives ! He was running on well at the end of the race once Mick Kinane got to work on him. Miss Andretti was impressive in the sprint. In the Ascot Stakes, Enjoy The Moment was well backed but a shade unlucky in running. The second day belonged to Manduro who put up a superb performance in the Prince of Wales Stakes. Any horse that Andre Fabre sends across the channel needs serious consideration. When will we learn ? Jimmy Fortune was the other star on Wednesday in riding a treble which helped him on his way to being top jockey at the meeting. Day three belonged to Yeats who won the Gold Cup for the second year. Geordieland ran a terrific race in finishing second. Sergeant Cecil was reluctant to go to the stalls and obviously had an off day. Perhaps he had a headache or just does not like Ascot. On his form with Geordieland at York he would have been close to Yeats. However the best horse won and lets hope we see him again next year at Royal Ascot. Day four saw a lot of rain which altered the going. Indian Ink caused a real shock in the Coronation Stakes beating all the top three year old fillies. Finsceal Beo looked in superb condition beforehand but did not like the going. Day five on Saturday with more rain showed that those drawn high on the straight course had an advantage, especially if they acted on the softened going. Soldiers Tale in the Golden Jubilee Stakes put up a very game performance under a strong ride from Johnny Murtagh just getting the better of Takeover Target who was placed for the second year running. Michael Hills rode a very good tactical race on Maraahel in the Hardwicke Stakes. Scorpion was backed as though defeat was out of the question. He was impressive at Epsom where he had a pacemaker in Septimus but with no pacemaker this time he was outgunned by Maraahel and Michael Hills. Dark Missile with young William Buick on board was a clever winner of the Wokingham Stakes. Intrepid Jack was second for the third time this season. Perhaps he can go one better this year in the Bunbury Cup at Newmarket in July. Pevensey was well backed for the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes and duly won giving the writer something to shout about. Enjoy The Moment did likewise in the Queen Alexandra Stakes and showed that he was unlucky in the Ascot Stakes. He now goes for the Northumberland Plate on Saturday 30th June at Newcastle. There he will again meet Greenwich Meantime who won the Chester Cup and was placed in the Northumberland Plate last year along with River Alhaarth. Lets hope the rain stops and racing can go ahead. For all the runners and riders go to at the races. The next big race after the Northumberland Plate will be the Coral Eclipse Stakes at Sandown on Saturday 7th July where Authorized will be taking on the older horses which could include George Washington. Twenty years ago Mtoto and Reference Point fought out a tremendous duel over the final two furlongs in the Eclipse with victory going to the older horse Mtoto. Reference Point started favourite at evens that day and subsequently went on to win the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot at the end of July where Mtoto was withdrawn because of the soft ground. The next year (1988) Mtoto won both the Coral Eclipse Stakes and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. For all the runners and riders with the jockey's colours go to Paddy Power and click on "Horse Racing".

The Royal Ascot Meeting gets under way next Tuesday 19th June 2007. The St James's Palace Stakes is the feature race on the first day. Cockney Rebel will be a warm favourite for this but might be worth opposing with Dutch Art. He raced on the wrong side in the 2000 Guineas and will come into this race a fresh horse. The feature race on the second day is the Prince of Wales Stakes. Notnowcato ran in this last year and has since twice beaten Dylan Thomas who is sure to be favourite. Notnowcato could be the value bet. On Thursday Yeats is quoted as odds on to repeat his win of last year in the Ascot Gold Cup. Sergeant Cecil has already proved he is as good as ever and might be the value bet. The roof will come off the new stand if he wins. Friday has the Coronation Stakes as its feature. Finsceal Beo will be a warm order for this. It would be great for this filly to prove how tough she is and win this race. In the King Edward VII Stakes on Friday Salford is fancied to run well. For all the racecards go to at the races. My very first visit to the Ascot racecourse was in 1959 for the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at the end of July. It is all a bit of a blurr now but I think this was the day that the late Manny Mercer (brother of Joe) was killed in the parade for the race when his horse slipped and fell on him. The meeting was abandoned after Alcide had won the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. The late Manny Mercer had already ridden 100 winners that season and was on his way to becoming Champion Jockey. My first visit to Royal Ascot was in 1962. Rather foolishly I decided to go to all four days. This involved making a four mile bicycle ride to pick up my best friend Brenda, then a one mile walk to the coach station. The stage coach journey was about 70 miles and seemed to take forever. The return journey seemed to take even longer and I would get back to my home at about midnight. I would have to be up at about 6.30am to do it all again ! I was suffering badly with hay fever at the time so after four days I was in need of a good rest. The racing is a blurr apart from Trelawny winning the Ascot Stakes on the Tuesday and then the Queen Alexander Stakes on the Friday. He was ridden both times by the late Scobie Breasley and it was a great training performance by the late George Todd. I love watching the staying races and also find they are a good betting medium. There have been some good reliable stayers over the years. Lets hope the best horse wins the Ascot Gold Cup. For all the runners and riders with the jockey's colours go to Paddy Power and click on "Horse Racing".

What a fabulous two days racing at Epsom for the 2007 Derby and Oaks. Friday was full of emotion for Henry Cecil. He was put back on the big stage with Light Shift, his second string, who clearly stayed the one and half miles better than everything else. Passage of Time appeared not to stay. It will be interesting to see where Henry Cecil sends her next. The traditional standard flag was hoisted at Warren Place depicting a Group 1 success acheived by Light Shift. Saturday was Frankie Dettori day. Authorized was a class above everything else. How lucky for Frankie Dettori that his boss, Sheikh Mohammed, allowed him to ride Authorized. How lucky for Peter Chapple-Hyam to have such a good horse to train. He is now back on the big stage after having a few years in the wilderness. Good luck to all of them. The BBC's coverage of the two days was excellent for the armchair viewer. Their next stop is Royal Ascot which starts on Tuesday the 19th June and runs through to Saturday 23rd. For all the Runners and Riders go to www.sportinglife.com/racing and click on Racecards. More of Royal Ascot nearer the time. For all the runners and riders with the jockey's colours go to Paddy Power and click on "Horse Racing".