Three best bets for our in-form pundit on Saturday including a 12/1 fancy in the feature Betfair Exchange Northumberland Plate.
Recommended bets:
1pt each-way Dubawi Fifty in 3.35 Newcastle at 12/1
1pt win Always Resolute in 3.00 Newcastle at 12/1
1pt win Intisaab in 2.45 York at 14/1
SEVERAL of the fancied horses in Saturday's valuable Betfair Exchange Northumberland Plate at Newcastle are returning from long absences, including DUBAWI FIFTY who hasn't been seen since chasing home Lagostovegas in last year's Ascot Stakes at the Royal meeting.
Karen McClintock's stayer seemed to be on an upward curve at the time; the Ascot run looked a career-best effort and he can now meet the third Stratum (second favourite in most lists) on 7lb better terms. So it was unfortunate that Dubawi Fifty had to miss the remainder of the season.
However, there are good reasons to think that this still lightly-raced, genuine and consistent gelding can run a big race here as he has twice won before after a break and boasts a good record on the course with two wins (one over this trip) and three placings from seven visits.
At double-figure odds, the six-year-old looks worth an each-way interest; he doesn't know how to run a bad race and his rider Luke Morris seeks a second Plate win after Juniper Girl's success in 2007.
The gambled-on Gibbs Hill returns from a longer 724 day break and has clearly been working well. He is an unexposed sort for a bang-in-form team but whether he is quite up to this has to be a guess, and he has yet to race beyond a mile and a half.
Earlier, ALWAYS RESOLUTE looks worth an interest in the Betfair Exchange Northumberland Vase (Plate Consolation) Handicap.
The eight-year-old is one of three runners for his shrewd trainer Ian Williams, but split his stable companions Suegioo (second) and Michael's Mount (fourth) in heavy ground at Chester in May before finishing second to Angel Gabrial (a good second since) at Ripon.
Always Resolute has performed well at Newcastle before and runs off a Flat rating some 51lb below his hurdles mark when the average difference between the two codes is 35-40lb.
At York, INTISAAB should go close in the competitive Sun Racing Handicap.
David Nolan's mount has been running well lately without hitting the target. He 'won' his race on the wrong side of the course at Ripon first time out, finished fifth to Soldier's Minute (now 10lb worse off) over the course and distance after being slowly away and, most recently, wasn't beaten far in last week's Wokingham at Royal Ascot.
A curiosity of Intisaab's campaigning is that, until May, he hadn't run at York since October 2016 when winning over the course and distance while two previous visits yielded two seconds.
Off a slipping mark, Intisaab can prove dangerous here.
Preview posted 2215 BST on 28/06/19