Northumberland Plate Festival Day 1 Tips: Honey can taste sweet success

Newcastle's flagship Northumberland Plate Festival has been returned to a three-day offering this year and the first afternoon of action is on Thursday. The Gosforth Park venue boasts a busy afternoon of action on the Tapeta, with eight races from 14:00-17:50, including a Class 2 handicap over the mile trip at 16:10 as the opening afternoon feature race.

We have selected three Newcastle runners worth following from today's horse races, including Attila The Honey as she bids to bounce back from a poor run on testing ground at Doncaster recently.

Horse Racing Odds

14:00 Newcastle – Attila The Honey @ 9/1

The opening handicap contest comes over an extended mile-and-a-half distance and is set to feature a field of six.

Lightly-raced pair Gulf Legend for James Ferguson and Tryfan for Brian Ellison are setting out in handicaps with scope for better, but a forgiving attitude is adopted in respect of the hopes of ATTILA THE HONEY.

Charlie Johnston's Jukebox Jury filly won back-to-back handicaps on the Tapeta at Southwell in the spring when stepped up to this sort of trip, successfully carrying a 6lb penalty in the second of those.

At the end of April she went to Doncaster for a Class 3 contest on soft ground, her maiden start on turf, and that run surely was not her true form as she was in trouble a long way out.

She drops in class now and should be far more at home back on this surface. She's been left on this mark of 82 but Archie Young gets the leg up and takes off a handy 7lb at a track where he has a 25 per-cent strike-rate in 2024 with three wins from a dozen attempts.

His filly is taken to banish memories of that Town Moor effort and get back on the up to stay unbeaten in all-weather handicaps.

15:35 Newcastle – Veydari @ 7/4

Richard Fahey's VEYDARI did plenty of the donkey work on debut at Haydock (6f, good) this month and should come on for what was ultimately a sixth-placed effort at the line having led for a good portion of the contest.

The Hello Youmzain colt got the running rail but perhaps wasn't helped as the action amongst the leading protagonists unfolded up the middle of the track late on.

That was a Class 3 novice and while no winners have emerged from it, those that have run have generally managed to give the form a solid look.

This is an ease in grade and the Wathnan Racing-owned colt is likely to take a good step forward for that initial outing and prove hard to beat now.

16:10 Newcastle – Brunch @ 6/1

The feature race is over a mile and includes some above-average handicappers in what looks a competitive event.

There are plenty with C&D form, including BRUNCH for Michael Dods.

The Harbour Watch gelding is 2-3 at this track, winning as a novice here in 2020 over this trip, having also scored over 7f in November 2019.

A year ago, he was beaten just over a length into sixth as Lattam won this race, Connor Beasley's partner having to weave between rivals to make his challenge.

He finds himself 12lb better off with the winner now and was doing all his best work late on at Nottingham this month on his return from 246 days off. He could have more to offer on the artificial surfaces and looks set for another big effort in this race on just his fourth AW start.

Horse Racing Tips from Betfred Insights.