Golden Rules, who was bought for just 6,000 guineas in October 2021, is the likely favourite to win the £81,000 first prize in the Northumberland Plate at Newcastle on Saturday, following sustained support from 7-1 to around 3-1 since the final declarations on Thursday.
Deborah Faulkner’s gelding spent the early part of his career with John Gosden and finished a two-length fourth in the Ascot Stakes at the Royal meeting in June 2021, but had been off the track for 638 days when he made a winning debut for his new yard at Kempton in March.
He is just 3lb higher in the weights on Saturday, but the form looks less than solid as Oisin Murphy was gifted a very soft lead by his rivals and duly made the most of the opportunity. There is next to no chance that Golden Rules will get as easy a time of it in one of the most competitive staying handicaps of the season, and while his old form gives him an obvious chance, his claim is no better than that of several opponents.
Adjuvant, with Billy Loughnane taking off 3lb, and Zoffee, the Chester Cup runner-up, both deserve consideration but at the likely odds, Post Impressionist (2.05) could be the best bet in the field at around 6-1.
William Haggas’s four-year-old progressed steadily last season and rounded off his campaign with a career-best performance to win a handicap at York. That success also held the promise of much more to come this term and the step up to two miles also seems sure to suit.
Pontefract
2.10 Unplugged
2.40 Emeralds Pride
3.15 Twilight Romance
3.50 Rogue Tornado
4.25 Tropez Power
5.00 Fiscal Policy (nb)
Southwell
2.25 Wick Green
3.00 Going Mobile
3.35 No Way Pedro
4.10 Tally’s Son
4.45 Well Done Dani
5.20 Just Call Me Al
5.55 Coconut Twist
Windsor
5.10 Skallywag Bay
5.45 Silver Trumpet
6.15 Value Added
6.45 Aphelios
7.15 Raqisa (nap)
7.45 Mujid
8.15 Oh So Audacious
Musselburgh
6.30 Charged Up
7.00 Lincoln Rockstar
7.30 Robert Johnson
8.00 Ecclesiastical
8.30 Sparkle In His Eye
9.00 Yaaser
Newcastle 12.20: There should be little between Lethal Levi and Magical Spirit on their form at York in May but a previous win on Tapeta tips the balance towards Kevin Ryan’s runner.
Newmarket 12.40: Charlie Appleby’s Star Of Mystery was an emphatic winner at Haydock a fortnight ago and should take the step up to Listed company in her stride.
Newcastle 12.55: Brad The Brief tops the ratings and has gone well fresh in the past.
Newmarket 1.15: Two runners with Group One form in a Listed event, with New London, placed in last year’s Leger, narrowly preferred to the 2021 Coronation Cup runner-up, Al Aasy.
Newcastle 1.30: The consolation race for runners that missed out on the feature, and Citizen General should appreciate the step back up in trip after finishing a strong second off the same mark of 80 at Lingfield earlier this month.
Newmarket 1.50: The talented but fragile Aldaary, who holds an entry in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood, has a 420-day absence to overcome but won on his only start in 2022, when he was racing in Listed company for the first time, and can extend his current win streak to four.
