Winston hungry for Plate success as Flyer goes for three-timer

JOCKEY Robert Winston has been undergoing a gruelling period of fasting to retain the mount on big-race favourite Deauville Flyer in today's John Smith's Northumberland Plate at Newcastle.

The four-year-old gelding, who has won his last two races, sneaks in near the foot of the weights off just 8st 3lb, and he looks worth the buckets of sweat Winston will have shed in the sauna.

Trainer Tim Easterby said: "Robert rang me a week ago and said if he gets in with 8st 3lb he'll still ride him and he'll do the weight. I said to him as long as he's strong and right he can ride him, so the plan's going ahead at the moment. It's a very good race and everyone wants to win it."

Mamlook goes for a big staying handicap double when he bids to follow up his Chester Cup success. The six-year-old has gone up 4lb for his narrow win over Tastahil on the Roodee in May, but trainer David Pipe is still optimistic of a big run.

"It was a great performance in the Chester Cup. He'll like the ground and the trip," said the Nicholashayne handler. "He's not slow and he's fairly quick for a two-miler and the draw, ten, is OK. He went up a few pounds for winning the Chester Cup, but hopefully he'll have a good each-way chance."

Eddie Ahern is not unduly concerned about his wide draw (21) on Overturn for another primarily jumps trainer, Donald McCain. "He likes to be in front and not to be overcrowded," he said. "If you're drawn low, you can miss the kick sometimes and the position you want is gone and (then] you can end up being in the middle where you don't want to be. There are three or four other horses in there that like to front run, so as long as they go a good, even gallop and I can slot in from a bad draw, I think the race will pan out for itself then."

Alan Swinbank expects his two runners, Merchant Of Dubai and Stanstill, to be competitive, although he does fear the well-backed Deauville Flyer.

"Tim Easterby's horse will take some beating," said the North Yorkshire trainer. "Stanstill is very well but it's a competitive contest. Merchant Of Dubai could do with a bit of cut in the ground so we could do with a shower of rain tonight for him. I think we will be competitive, but to win is a big ask."

Drunken Sailor takes a big step up in trip after finishing third in a Listed race over ten furlongs at Goodwood last time. The gelding was successful in a maiden hurdle over two miles when trained in Ireland but has been running in middle-distance races since moving to Luca Cumani, including winning two events in Dubai during the spring.

"We'll just have to see if he stays or not," said Cumani. "We're going up from a mile and a quarter to two miles."

Mark Johnston's two contenders, Becausewecan and Spirit Is Needed, may be outsiders but are by no means forlorn hopes. "Becausewecan ran last week at Royal Ascot and maybe didn't run right up to his best, but they are both horses that stay well and have got a chance," said the Middleham trainer.

Johnston is braced for another big weekend with Monterosso due to run in tomorrow's Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at the Curragh.

A highly impressive winner of the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot last week he is again the mount of Frankie Dettori and was supplemented for 150,000 on Tuesday.

"He's been showing all the right signs since Ascot," said Johnston. "It's a tall order for a horse to climb from handicaps to the Irish Derby in such a short space of time but he looks the part and the way he won at Ascot, the form of that race puts him right there."

Jim Bolger has two shots at interrupting Aidan O'Brien's monopoly on the race with Puncher Clynch and Carraiglawn.

It is quite surprising to note Bolger has collected Ireland's premier Classic only once in his long and successful career, through St Jovite in 1992, while his former pupil turned rival O'Brien seeks his fifth in succession and eighth in total. The formidable Bolger could not resist the temptation of running both horses against five from O'Brien and his stable jockey Kevin Manning has chosen Puncher Clynch, not seen since beating rival and Investec Derby runner-up At First Sight as well as Queen's Vase scorer Mikhail Glinka in the Ballysax Stakes at Leopardstown in April.

Along with Derby runner-up At First Sight, O'Brien runs the Epsom favourite, fourth-placed Jan Vermeer, and fifth home Midas Touch. With son Joseph on At First Sight and Sean Levey aboard Bright Horizon, jockey bookings suggest Cape Blanco (Johnny Murtagh) and Jan Vermeer (Seamie Heffernan) are the top two.