AFTER the pomp and pageantry of what was one of the finest Royal Ascots in living memory, and after the morning suits and flamboyant hats, horse racing puts on more humble garb this week, and much of the action heads northwards.

Today sees the Carlisle Bell and Plate meeting, featuring two historical races, the Carlisle Bell and the totepool.com Cumberland Plate. The Carlisle Bell was first run as long ago as 1599, and the bell then presented to the winner is the world’s oldest known sporting trophy.

Tomorrow (Thursday), the horseracing show moves east across the country to Newcastle, for three days, culminating in Saturday’s John Smith’s Northumberland Plate, one of the richest long-distance handicaps in Europe.

In the past this race was run on a Wednesday, local coal-miners were given a day’s holiday, and the nickname ‘The Pitmen’s Derby’ became established.

As a Geordie, born in Newcastle on Plate Day, winning the race has long been the ambition of successful Norton-based trainer Brian Ellison.

He won the other premier long-distance handicap, York’s Ebor, with Moyenne Corniche in 2011, but the Newcastle prize has, so far, eluded him.

This year he needs six or seven horses to be withdrawn at the acceptance stage tomorrow for his top-rated entry Mashaari to be able to get a go, too, but fingers are crossed in the Ryedale region.

He still has a host of runners at the meeting with Capellanus and Memory Cloth on Thursday, Seattle Drive on Friday and Cape Explorer on Saturday all having good chances.

Ellison is having a real crack at the Carlisle contests, too, with Pacific Heights, Gouray Girl and Best Trip going for the Bell and Porgy, Spanish Duke, Calaf and Tappanappa declared for the Cumberland Plate.

On Sunday, his interest lies across the Irish Sea when Racy, beaten only a head in a valuable Musselburgh handicap, goes for a £100,000 race at The Curragh on Irish Derby day before he heads for Croatia and a deserved week’s holiday.

 

• EVERYONE who visited Royal Ascot was thrilled by Riposte’s victory for Lady Cecil and the Gold Cup win for the Queen, thanks to her filly Estimate, last Thursday.

But we had to wait until the final contest on Friday before Ryedale could claim a success, and it was not for any of the Malton or Norton yards but for Kevin Ryan’s Hambleton Lodge stable at the top of Sutton Bank, on the western fringe of the district.

The 25-1 shot Lightning Cloud, owned by the 12-strong Hambleton Racing Syndicate, stormed to victory in the Buckingham Palace Handicap under a confident ride from Neil Callan.

The 12-strong North Yorkshire-based syndicate have been with Ryan for eight years and the daring dozen were visibly delighted as the gelding was led back into the winners’ enclosure.

“This horse deserved a day in the sun,” said Ryan. “And I am delighted for Hambleton Racing because they have been with me from the very start and needed this day.

“They are great supporters of the yard and I couldn’t be happier.

“I booked Neil for this ride a month ago as he told me he would win. I thought he was a bit too confident but he has proved me wrong.”

Less than 24 hours later, Ryan was back in the winners’ enclosure again, after an even greater success.

The Wokingham Stakes is one of the season’s premier sprint handicaps and 26 runners turned out for last week’s contest.

The nicely named York Glory, starting at 14-1, bounded clear in the final furlong to give both Ryan and jockey Jamie Spencer a second win of the week.

“I rang Kevin to get this ride myself,” said Spencer.

“They went slow for a Wokingham and I was travelling too well early on but had cover. I ended up going a little earlier than ideal because the gaps were there.”

Ryan said: “This horse has always had a big day in him. He’s always been a very talented horse. Actually it’s the first time the owners (Salman Rashed and Mohamed Khalifa) have actually ever seen the horse.

“He’s ready for a step up now. We’ll take him home and see how he is but I think that he’s ready for a step up in grade.”

 

• MOST of Richard Fahey’s Royal Ascot contingent ran really well – but always seemed to find one just too good for them.

On the opening day of the meeting, as reported in the Gazette last week, two-year-olds Parbold, in the Coventry Stakes, and Supplicant, in the Windsor Castle Stakes, looked to have outstanding chances for the Musley Bank trainer, but both finished second.

Parbold, ridden by Tony Hamilton, succumbed to the Aidan O’Brien-trained War Command and Supplicant was beaten a neck by Extortionist in the tightest finish of the five days when a blanket would have covered the first five.

“The winner went too fast,” said Fahey of Parbold’s defeat. “We wouldn’t have beaten him anyway but Tony (Hamilton) thought Parbold was two or three lengths better than the result showed. He’s got lots of scope and will improve for racing.

“He is a very laid-back horse and he will come on again for that. He’s an absolute gent. He is entered in several valuable two-year-old sales races and it would be hard not to run him in them.”

The following day, Paul Hanagan had the ride on Fahey’s consistent filly, Ladys First, in a really competitive Duke of Cambridge Stakes, over the straight mile. After making the running, she went down by half-a-length to another Irish raider, the David Wachman-trained Duntle, with Dank and Beatrice Aurore inches behind.

Ladys First started at 25-1 and gave a really magnificent performance in defeat.

Frankie Dettori got the mount on two-year-old filly Sandiva, another of Fahey’s hopes, in the Albany Stakes, and they started 7-4 favourite, but once more the Malton handler had to settle for the runner-up position.

Certainly the prospects for these four Musley Bank contenders is great but to have seen at least one of them in the winners’ enclosure at the Royal meeting would have been welcome.

Saturday is likely to see Fahey’s Chester Cup one-two, Address Unknown and Ingleby Spirit, in contention for the John Smith’s Northumberland Plate in Newcastle, while veteran Blue Bajan, from David O’Meara’s Nawton stables, could also be in the line-up for the big race of the day.