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Northumberland Plate: Date, venue, runners, history & more

The Northumberland Plate is Newcastle's best-known race on the Flat and a highlight of the calendar at the Gosforth Park circuit.

The Northumberland Plate has been in existence since 1833 and has found its home at Newcastle since 1882.

The modern incarnation sees the two-mile handicap contest staged on Newcastle's Tapeta track and it routinely attracts a stellar field to the north-east.

Northumberland Plate date

The next Northumberland Plate is set to take place on Saturday 28th June 2025, with a scheduled off-time of 14:25 (BST).

Northumberland Plate venue

The Northumberland Plate is staged at Newcastle Racecourse, located at Gosforth Park in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The venue is a dual purpose course, staging both Flat and National Hunt racing.

Since 2016, Flat racing at Newcastle - including the Northumberland Plate - has been staged on an artificial Tapeta surface.

The venue is amongst the busiest of Britain's all-weather courses, particularly in the winter months, and also plays host to the All-Weather Finals meeting on Good Friday each year.

Northumberland Plate history

The most valuable race in the North East, the Northumberland Plate is a summer staple at Newcastle and is known locally as 'The Pitmen's Derby'.

The Northumberland Plate originally took place on a Wednesday and for many years the meeting was a holiday for local miners; hence the nickname.

The meeting ceased to be a holiday in 1949 and the race was switched to a Saturday in 1952, where it remains to this day.

Ahead of the 2024 race, Newcastle racecourse confirmed the return of Northumberland Plate Festival, with three days of racing culminating with plate day on the Saturday.

Paul Elliott, Executive Director at Newcastle Racecourse, said: "Everyone here at Newcastle Racecourse looks forward to the Northumberland Plate Festival and this year will be an event people won't want to miss. It's our most prestigious racing fixture of the year."

Northumberland Plate most successful trainer

Paul Cole has won the race more times than any other trainer.

His wins have come courtesy of Windsor Castle (1997), Cyrian (1998) and Archduke Ferdinand (2001) as he enjoyed a brief stranglehold on the contest.

The handler famously won the Epsom Derby with Generous in 1991 and the Ascot Gold Cup in 2003 with Mr Dinos.

He now trains on a joint-license with his son, Oliver. They operate at Whatcombe, a private racing estate located in the picturesque Oxfordshire countryside.

Northumberland Plate most successful jockey

Only two jockeys have managed multiple Northumberland Plate wins.

Willie Carson scored on Al Maheb (1990) and Celeric (1996), while Kevin Darley was on board Far Cry (1999) and Bay of Islands (2000),

Northumberland Plate famous winners

Underhand won the race three times in the 1800s, completed a hat-trick from 1857-1859 and that feat remains unmatched.

In modern times Overturn and Who Dares Wins have been popular winners, while the likes of Juniper Girl, Ile De Re, Angel Gabrial, Withhold, Caravan Of Hope and Trueshan have all won as favourites since 2007.

Alan King's Trueshan triumphed in 2022, producing an incredible performance as he scored off a BHA rating of 120, carrying a weight of 10st 8lb under Hollie Doyle.

It made him the highest-rated winner of a handicap in Britain since 1988.

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