Racing by Tom O'Ryan

Trainer David Evans and jockey John Egan who combined forces to complete a hat-trick of wins at Chester on Wednesday night, can hit the jackpot at Newcastle tomorrow by capturing the richest two mile handicap in Europe with Leonato.

The £120,000 Newcastle Brown Ale Northumberland Plate, otherwise known as the Pitmen's Derby, is the target for Leonato, who has run three fine races in defeat this season and was a most unlucky loser of the Chester Cup.

The six year old finished third to Silence In Court, but failed to find any daylight all the way up the home straight and would have taken all the beating with a clear run.

His latest effort, also at Chester, saw him finish a close second to the classy Clerkenwell, a performance which confirmed his well-being not to mention his likelihood to win a major handicap before too long.

Tomorrow's test is a searching one, not least because of the presence of Arctic Owl and Maridpour, who are dominating the betting market. Arctic Owl romped home a wide-margin winner at York last month and looks sure to play a leading role with only a 3lb penalty, while Maridpour came to prominence in last week's Queen's Vase at Royal Ascot, and even with an 8lb penalty enters this race at the foot of the handicap.

Both those horses will be tough nuts to crack but Leonato, at odds of around 16-1, makes stacks of appeal as a value-for-money bet and is awarded the nap vote.

Seven furlongs with some give in the ground are tailor-made conditions for Kayo and Tim Etherington's smart three-year-old gets the vote in the Journal Good Morning Handicap with Gary Carter in the saddle.

Tim Easterby can do no wrong at present and Marton Moss can be yet another winner for the Great Habton trainer in the £20,000 Tote Northern Sprint Trophy.

Cretan Gift is a hard horse to win with but his fourth-placed effort in last week's King's Stand Stakes entitles him to plenty of respect in the Colonel Porter Brown Ale Chipchase Stakes.

At Newmarket make a note of the progressive Redbridge (3-10) and Rabi (3-45) both mounts of Frankie Dettori, who completed a double at Newcastle yesterday.

Redbridge, a five lengths winner at Doncaster last time, has suffered only one defeat in four starts this term, while Rabi looked a certain future winner when chasing home Diktat on his reappearance at Leicester last month.

Also worth noting at HQ are Miss Universe (4.15) a filly held in high esteem by her trainer Barry Hills and Prima Verde (4.45) who looks an interesting proposition on her comeback after winning two of her three starts last season.

At Doncaster's evening meeting the well-regarded Zakuska (7.35) looks a likely winner for Henry Cecil and Kieren Fallon, while Mouche (9.05) has the ability to defy top weight of 10st if things go her way. Lynda Ramsden's filly is highly-strung and looks far from a straightforward ride, but she will receive assistance from Jimmy Fortune.

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