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NEWCASTLE has its biggest race day of the year with the stamina sapping Northumberland Plate (3.10) the big betting race of the day over the galloping two-mile trip.

I am not sure that there is a great deal of strength in depth in this year’s renewal so if top-weight Tashkhan retains all of his old ability then he surely has to be a player even off a mark of high ceiling of 111, although the 16-box draw will have to be safely negotiated early on by Ben Robinson.

Sir Mark Prescott has his team in good form following his win in the two-and-a-half-mile Ascot Stakes at the Royal meeting last week, and his TROOPER BISDEE looks the one to be on here from a fair draw providing the field go a nice even gallop. Raised just the 5lbs for winning over two furlongs further at Pontefract last week, the unexposed four-year-old has the typical Prescott profile of a rapidly improving stayer and this will have been the plan for a while.