Take Tim Easterby to extend his amazing Saturday sequence in the 'Pitmen's Derby' at Newcastle tomorrow - that's my advice as Bourgeois bids for the £175,000 jackpot of what is officially known as the John Smith's Northumberland Plate.

The gelding is owned by Charlie Stevens, who lives on Tyneside, hence the reason why this famous event has been on the agenda for Bourgeois since the start of the season.

A winner at York last year before falling short in the Tote-Ebor Handicap, Bourgeois has looked an improved performer this season. Successful at Haydock on his reappearance, he then finished an unlucky fifth behind Hugs Dancer in the Chester Cup, failing to get a clear run on the tricky Roodee course.

On his only outing since, Bourgeois has finished a good second over an inadequate mile and a half at Hamilton. Tomorrow's return to two miles will be right up his street.

Last Saturday, Easterby was on the mark at Royal Ascot with Fayr Jag, who dead-heated in the Wokingham Handicap. The previous Saturday, he won the William Hill Trophy at York with Dazzling Bay, and the Saturday before that, he completed a treble at Haydock and Doncaster.

Bourgeois is napped to uphold his trainer's Saturday tradition by winning tomorrow's major prize. Kevin Darley has the mount.

Raphael, a Beverley scorer last week, can be another winner for the Easterby-Darley combination in the Journal 'Good Morning' Handicap.

Cd Europe, who just failed to peg back Time To Remember at York two weeks ago, is taken to gain rich compensation for Kevin Ryan's Hambleton stable in the £30,000 Tote Scoop6 Northern Sprint.

Channel 4 cameras, which will be covering the action from Newcastle, will also be at Newmarket, where Trade Fair bids to reinforce his top-class reputation in the £50,000 Betfair Criterion Stakes.

One of last season's leading juveniles, Roger Charlton's colt suffered a setback in the spring and was denied a shot at the 2,000 Guineas.

He did, however, return to action in a blaze of glory on Newmarket's Rowley Mile course last month, impressively beating Membership, who has since won the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot.

An exciting talent, Trade Fair will be hard to beat under Richard Hughes.

The well regarded Menhoubah (2.35) and the speedy Pivotal Point (3.40) are two others worthy of interest at HQ.

Many of the jockeys in action at Newmarket and Newcastle in the afternoon will be dashing down the A1 for the evening meeting at Doncaster, including Keiran Fallon, who has double prospects aboard Liberty (6.45) and Hawk Flyer (7.15), both trained by Sir Michael Stoute.

The Tara Leisure & Elite Blinds Handicap looks a good opportunity for Dizzy In The Head to gain compensation for his recent defeat at York, where he hung across the course, forfeiting his lead inside the final furlong.

Tomorrow's tips:

NEWCASTLE

1.45 Vision Of Night, 2.15 Cd Europe, 2.50 Bourgeois (Nap), 3.25 Chorist, 3.55 Bluebok, 4.25 Raphael, 5.00 Colophony, 5.30 Fly More.

Newmarket

2.00 Putra Sandhurst, 2.35 Menhoubah, 3.05 Trade Fair, 3.40 Pivotal Point, 4.10 Nahane, 4.40 Pantone, 5.15 Encounter.

Doncaster

6.45 Liberty, 7.15 Hawk Flyer, 7.45 Dizzy In The Head, 8.15 Promenade, 8.45 Celtic Style, 9.15 Noble Penny.

Tomorrow's other meetings are at Chester, Lingfield, Newton Abbot and Worcester.

Updated: 12:41 Friday, June 27, 2003