Oisin Murphy will be able to continue riding until at least his court appearance on drink-driving charges next week.
The four-time champion jockey was in action at Doncaster on Friday and has six booked rides at York on Saturday, a meeting covered on ITV Racing and the most high-profile since he was charged while at Royal Ascot last week.
Murphy, 29, has been charged with one count of driving a motor vehicle while over the prescribed level of alcohol and one count of failing to cooperate with a preliminary test at the roadside after a collision in the early hours of Sunday 27 April this year.
He is due to appear at Reading magistrates court next Thursday and it is understood the racing authorities, while monitoring developments, feel that nothing prevents the jockey riding at present and that the judicial process should be allowed to play out in the appropriate way.
The big betting race on Saturday is the Northumberland Plate at Newcastle, the 10th running of the “Pitmen’s Derby” since the switch from turf to an artificial Tapeta surface in 2016, and while the move was controversial at the time, the race has maintained its status as one of the most popular and storied events in the Flat calendar.
Trueshan’s win for Hollie Doyle and Alan King under 10st 8lb in 2022 was one of the great weight-carrying performances of modern times, while Onesmoothoperator’s success last year for Brian Ellison – who was born in Newcastle on 28 June 1952, the same day that Souepi landed a gamble in the Plate – fulfilled the trainer’s lifetime ambition.
Onesmoothoperator is back for another crack and has been kept fresh for Saturday’s race after trips to Australia and Dubai over the winter, but top weight of 9st 12lb is a significant burden to overcome.
East India Dock, the Chester Cup winner, is also prominent in the betting though unproven on the surface, while Willie Mullins’s sole runner, Pappano, is making his Flat debut for the yard and has scope for progress off his current mark.
Pontefract 2.00 Georginio 2.30 Try Storm Cat 3.00 Blessed Star 3.30 I Am Me 4.00 Glendown 4.30 Fancy Dancer 5.00 Fire Eyes
Ffos Las 2.15 Sky Advocate 2.45 Change Of Fortune 3.15 Calibos 3.45 Baikal 4.15 Golden Thorn 4.45 Queen Of Steel
Windsor 5.45 Speed Of Majid (nap) 6.15 Irish Fighter 6.45 Kaleido 7.15 Toca Madera 7.45 Calumet 8.15 Garibaldi Memory 8.45 Lequinto
Wolverhampton 6.00 Rose Of Spain 6.30 Time To Turn 7.00 Lady Modena 7.30 Crestofdistinction (nb) 8.00 Noble Victory 8.30 Bernard Spierpoint 9.00 Advertorial
There is little juice left in their current prices, however, and at the other end of the weights, Adrian McGuinness’s Tribal Star (3.15) is of greater interest at around 10-1.
He posted a useful effort to finish second to a highly progressive opponent in the Marathon event on All-Weather Finals day over Saturday’s course and distance, has a draw in stall six that will suit his prominent running style and Jamie Powell’s 3lb claim is also a bonus.
Newcastle 1.40 Ed Walker’s Arctic Thunder improved markedly from his stable debut when second under a considerate ride at Haydock last time and 12-1 in the early betting looks too big.
York 1.55 The impeccably bred Archivist was an easy winner at Leicester earlier this month and an opening mark of 90 could prove to be generous.
Musselburgh 2.00 Big Fun 2.30 Made All (nap) 3.00 Individualism 3.30 Keep Me Stable (nb) 4.00 Detective 4.30 Fletchers Dream 5.00 Mrs Bagerran
Brighton 2.40 Bear To Dream 3.10 My Boy Jack 3.40 Poetic Force 4.10 Tiempo Alegre 4.40 Night Bear 5.15 Manton Road
Chelmsford 6.00 Deep Water Bay 6.30 Almaty Star 7.00 Elizabeth Bay 7.30 G’Daay 8.00 Jabaara 8.30 Blindedbythelights 9.00 Bamburgh
Stratford-On-Avon 6.18 Finest View 6.48 Whatyouwaitingfor 7.18 Star Legend 7.48 Teorie 8.18 Midnight Jewel 8.48 Jury Belle
Newcastle 2.10 Fast-improving Ferrous won in a strong time over track and trip in May and could make the most of the 7lb he received from Group One-winning Kind Of Blue.
York 2.25 A drop in class for Lake Forest after his close fifth in the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot and while that was just 10 days ago, William Haggas’s colt should take advantage.
Newcastle 2.40 Contacto is making his all-weather debut but looked sure to come on for the run when finishing a close fourth at Goodwood in May.
York 3.00 The rock-solid form here is Habooba’s track-and-trip win in May and she can follow up off a 6lb higher mark.
Curragh 3.30 The older horses have had the upper hand in this race in recent seasons and Kalpana, a close third in the Group One Tattersalls Gold Cup last time, could extend the sequence at the expense of Whirl, the Oaks runner-up.
Newcastle 3.45 A 6lb penalty is unlikely to trouble Rare Change as he bids to follow up an emphatic success at Pontefract on Sunday.
