'.........Pitmen’s plan a painful reminder of better days
BY TONY SMURTHWAITE 11:59AM 11 JUN 2015
COMMENT THE Beeswing, Seaton Delaval, Virginia, Chipchase, Blaydon Race, Grade 1 Northumberland Gold Cup, Gosforth Park Cup. All are either gone or, if not gone, have been left to fester in the race programme at Newcastle while Class 5 and Class 6 races grew like bindweed in their midst.
When they were cared for they prospered.
Robellino showed his prowess in the Group 3 Seaton Delaval in 1980 before adding the Royal Lodge then having a shot at Shergar in the following summer's Derby. Diktat flopped at 4-11 in the Beeswing after his victory in the 1998 Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot. The Blaydon Race, a £14,000 nursery on August 31, has become a shadow of the £40,000 televised contest it was when introduced in 1996 in memory of the races made famous in the song dubbed the national anthem of Tyneside.
The Beeswing went to Goodwood to become the Lennox Stakes, the Virginia Stakes moved to Brighton, the Northumberland Gold Cup, won by Sybillin prior to his Victor Chandler Chase success in 1993, disappeared. The Gosforth Park Cup now plays second fiddle to the Listed Hoppings Stakes.
And then there's the Plate. The jewel in the crown of racing in the north-east with as rich a history as any of Britain's famous handicaps.
Firstly banished, in principle, to the jumps course, then in reality to the Tapeta, it is struggling to cling on to its heritage and, mockingly it feels, is ‘previously known as the Pitmen's Derby' if you care to believe the racecourse's website.
There's a lot of previous at Newcastle racecourse.......'
when its moved to the a/w all the heritage of the plate will be gone
2015 the last running of the northumberland plate 2016 the first running of just another bowlarks 2m handicap on the a/w
bye bye newcastle racecourse
when its moved to the a/w all the heritage of the plate will be gone2015 the last running of the northumberland plate2016 the first running of just another bowlarks 2m handicap on the a/wbye bye newcastle racecourse
If you were cynical you would think there's not much point in running the pitmen's derby any more seeing as pits and pitmen no longer exist...I'm a traditionalist however in the case of Newcastle I don't really think many people care one way or the other.
If you were cynical you would think there's not much point in running the pitmen's derby any more seeing as pits and pitmen no longer exist...I'm a traditionalist however in the case of Newcastle I don't really think many people care one way or the o