The Jenningsbet Northumberland Plate is a contest the Balding family have never won, but that could all change this Saturday if the unexposed Who’s Glen lines up for Kingsclere Stables at Gosforth Park in a race which is worth £150,000.
The 4-year-old has never won in six starts on an all-weather surface, but holds some smart placed form and was a very fair fifth behind East India Dock in the Chester Cup last month.
Balding also has Contacto, Anzac Day and Spirit Mixer all entered too.
The aforementioned East India Dock could reoppose with Who’s Glen this weekend after finishing a close-up sixth at Royal Ascot last week in the Ascot Stakes.
It has been 17 years since an Irish trainer landed the Pitmen’s Derby, but the likes of Willie Mullins, A J Martin, Dermot Weld and Charles Byrnes are all trainers with potential runners.
Unsurprisingly, Willie Mullins’ Too Bossy For Us and Pappano, are the shortest-priced Irish pair in the betting at present. The duo are both owned by the H O S Syndicate, with Too Bossy For Us looking to make his flat bow for Mullins after two runs over hurdles in Grade 1 company.
Stablemate Pappano was pulled-up on stable/hurdles debut for Mullins, a run which can be excused given it was in the JCB Triumph Hurdle (G1) at the Cheltenham Festival. He has not been seen since and is an interesting proposition moving forward for this yard.
No horse has ever won back-to-back renewals of the Jenningsbet Northumberland Plate since Tug Of War in 1978, but Brian Ellison’s Onesmoothoperator could try to make history if declared. He has not been seen since a Winter stint in Dubai which culminated in March.
Michael Bell claimed this prize with Juniper Girl in 2007, and could be represented by Duke Of Oxford this year. The 5-year-old gelding produced a rare below-par effort when 13th of 15 in the Chester Cup.
Evidently, Golden Rules has been difficult to train with just one start on his CV since finishing runner-up in the 2023 renewal of this race. Given connections continue to persist with him suggests there is ability still remaining, and he would be an intriguing contender if declared by Thomas Faulkner.
Latest Jenningsbet Northumberland Plate odds: Who’s Glen 5/1f, Too Bossy For Us 6/1, East India Dock 7/1, Pappano 7/1, Onesmoothoperator 10/1, Duke Of Oxford 12/1, Golden Rules 12/1, BAR 16/1
The Jenningsbet Chipchase Stakes (G3) also takes place at 2:10pm this Saturday ahead of the Jenningsbet Northumberland Plate. 16 entries have been made with the Wathnan Racing-owned duo Kind Of Blue and Paborus among the likely runners.
