Following a short holiday for those involved in flat racing last week, the all-weather fixtures under floodlights would return to their regular slot which would be music to the ears of some. It would be a refreshing and deserved break for trainers, jockeys and stable staff alike following a busy summer and autumn.
On the back of Sir Gino's brilliant Fighting Fifth Hurdle success four days ago on the jumps course, Newcastle would once again open its doors for a late afternoon-evening fixture which held its customary competitive handicaps and intriguing novice races. The meeting would see plenty of good sized fields and the potential for exciting racing.

Race One: The Free Bets With BetUK Bet Club Handicap - Class Six - One Mile, Two Furlongs - Runners: 11

The action would kick off with this low grade handicap over ten furlongs and it would see plenty of returning regulars to Gosforth Park as well as some from the younger generation looking to progress.

The weights would be headed by Mick and David Easterby's Unplugged, who had been in good form during the summer with a trio of placings, but his form has slackened recently. Despite that, his latest run came in a stronger contest than this. Another Easterby name in the fray would be Tim Easterby with Highwaygrey. The eight year has a liking for Pontefract, but has done well during another busy campaign. He would run well in defeat last time over course and distance a month ago. Another eight year old in the line up would be the Seb Spencer-trained Sense of Worth. He was last successful a year ago, but started the season off well with a handful of placings. He has enjoyed a break recently and this would be his first start since May. Sam Englands' runner It's A Love Thing clearly loves the all-weather with five wins to date, but has been below par in recent times. He would suffer a heavy defeat here last time in a similar contest. The Jedd O'Keeffe-trained Percy Willis has won three out of his six career wins at Newcastle and returned to the venue on the back of a recent win. The six year old would share the honours in a dead heat at Wolverhampton recently and was in good form. Similar comments could apply to his stablemate Prince Achille, another Newcastle regular. He would win at Gosforth Park for the fourth time in his career just two weeks ago and lined up again to defend his impressive record here. John Butler's Kaaranah has form at this sort of trip, but has been campaigned over a mile in the last twelve months. He would score at Kempton last year but has gone winless since. He returned to this longer trip having finished well over a mile last time out. The three year old Orbital represented high profile connections in the form of trainer Sir Mark Prescott and Cheveley Park. The gelding would show the expected improvement over longer trips and has won twice already in 2024. Another three year old in the line up would be Paul Attwater's Blue Sky Boy, who made his handicap debut after three low key efforts in novice company. He would be another moving up in trip as he seeked to improve from his best effort of fourth. Lake Teo would be another three year old in the field, but Charlie Hills's gelding has placed just twice from seven starts. He has been tried over different trips, but looks more exposed than others. The Alan Brown-trained Urban Road has been largely consistent since New Year's Day of 2024 where he was a close second here before winning on his next start. Following a summer break, he has gradually finished closer with each run and should be primed to go well in this contest. The four year old Falcon Nine arguably possesses more talent this form suggests, but he has been frustrating with just a single placing to his name in two seasons. Now trained by Charlie Fellowes, his best effort saw him finish runner up at Yarmouth. 

Winner: URBAN ROAD (#11) (Monsieur Bond x Normandy Maid) - H. Davies - A. Brown

The lineup would be reduced by one on the morning of the race as the original top weight Unplugged was deemed to be a non runner. That would leave a field of eleven to go to post, but the race still looked as difficult to solve as before. 

The early pace was no more than a steady one through the early stages. From the moment the gates opened, the well supported favourite Kaaranah was sent to the front under Kaiya Fraser and set the early fractions. He would be shadowed by Blue Sky Boy and the keen going pair of Sense Of Worth and Lake Teo, while the likes of Orbital, Prince Achille and Percy Wills would sit comfortably in centre pack. Towards the rear, Highwaygrey got away to a sluggish start and had to use up energy to attach himself to the rest of the field. 

Kaaranah would then lead his rivals around the home bend and his rider opted for the central channel of the course. The chances would make an orderly queue in behind the leading favourite, noticeably Falcon Nine who made headway despite an awkward head carriage. Lake Teo and Orbital would be two more to dispute the win before Urban Road travelled powerfully into contention. Approaching the final furlong, Kaaranah's time in the lead came to an end as Orbital pounced to take a narrow lead. The white cap of Urban Road chose to squeeze through a gap between Orbital and Kaaranah and stuck his nose in front. The six year old would then start to pull clear approaching the line to win by a comfortable neck. Orbital would post a good effort in defeat with a second place while Kaaranah settled for third. Back in fourth would be Falcon Nine, who only kept on at the same pace despite travelling well.

It would be a sixth win for Alan Brown's gelding Urban Road, who has a particular liking for Gosforth Park. This win was Urban Road's fourth at Newcastle, his first since the start of the year. Following that win, Urban Road kept running consistently well with a handful of top five finishes on the all-weather. After a run in April, he would be given a summer break of four months before returning to action at Newcastle in late October. With a few runs under his belt, Urban Road was clearly back to peak fitness and was given a confident ride by jockey Harry Davies. He should continue to run at this sort of level and further wins at Newcastle wouldn't be out of the question heading into 2025.

Race Two: The £30 In Free Bets With BetUK Novice Stakes - Class Four - One Mile, Four Furlongs - Runners: 12

The highest quality contest of the meeting would come in the form of an older horse novice contest over twelve furlongs. Races of this nature are often used for more exposed maidens, late developing types or even those switching codes at a later stage of their career. 

The field would be headed by Rebecca Menzies's Dark Agent, who is related to a high class sprinter but made his first racecourse debut in October as a six year old. The grey would be very slow out of the stalls that day and came home in his own time. The most regally bred runner in the field would be Fireblade, trained by John and Thady Gosden. The three year old remains a maiden after three starts and seemingly hasn't inherited the talent of his brother Cracksman. A second runner for the Rebecca Menzies yard would be the three year old Keeper Of Secrets, who is related to a whole host of winners and made his debut here. The Gosden stable would be represented with a second runner in the contest, Roland Garros in the colours of Godolphin. The fancifully bred son of Nathaniel disappointed on his debut last month and has been gelded. Scotland The Brave would be another to make a belated return to action having made his only start in April. He finish tailed off that day and has since switched to the Tristan Davidson yard. The Charlie Johnston stable would be represented by the returning Sir Geoff Hurst, whose last appearance came at Newcastle over a year ago in a contest that produced some useful types. Steel Tiger comes from a very talented family, but has yet to progress from a promising debut second at the start of the season. The Simon and Ed Crisford-trained gelding ran with credit on first start on this surface last time. The dual purpose yard of Phil Kirby would saddle the mare Misaura, who made her debut on the Flat. She was highly tried in her first two bumpers but produced her best effort last time out at Kelso. Another transfer from bumpers to the Flat would be the useful Nala The Lioness for the Karl Burke yard. The four year old would be narrowly denied twice at this venue and was pulled up in a Grade Two when last in action. The Brian Ellison stable have enjoyed a great year in 2024 and saddled the filly Saxon Star here. She would run well to reach the frame twice in bumpers, but was recently well beaten over course and distance last month. First of the three year old fillies would be Haafapenny for the Mark Walford yard. She would make her debut in the same contest as Dark Agent and it resulted in a similar outcome as she finished tailed off. Another leading stable represented in the race would be Andrew Balding with the exposed filly Lasting Love. She comes from a brilliant family, but has hit the post with five placings in seven starts. A win here would do wonders for her broodmare profile. 

Winner: STEEL TIGER (#7) (Almanzor x Mission Impassible) - H. Davies - S & E. Crisford

The action would get underway to a relatively level break, with the exception of Keeper Of Secrets, who was very slow out of the stalls on debut and gave his rivals many lengths headstart. Further forward, the all blue silks of Godolphin would be at the head of the pack as Roland Garros dictated the early gallop. It would be a sedate pace in the opening few furlongs and a portion of the runners would race keenly. The short priced favourite Fireblade would be trapped wide around the first bend and raced keenly to give his supporters even more anxiety. The pack would amble their way down the back straight until Jason Hart onboard Lasting Love decided to move forward and press the leader. The small injection of pace saw most horses race more comfortably and just behind the leaders came Fireblade and Steel Tiger while the likes of Sir Geoff Hurst, Scotland The Brave and Nala The Lioness would race in midfield. The placings towards the back would be taken up by rank outsiders Misaura, Dark Agent and the slow starter Keeper Of Secrets.

The field made their way around the home bend and faced up to the long straight for home. Roland Garros would be niggled along in front as the race began to heat up. Another to come under pressure would be Fireblade so it was left for Steel Tiger to take up the narrow lead inside the final two furlongs. The alarm bells would start ringing for some of the fancied runners as Roland Garros weakened quickly out of contention, Lasting Love's response would be limited and Fireblade was outpaced at a key moment. Steel Tiger would continue to gallop on strongly and the gelding soon put the race to bed by going clear inside the final furlong. From out of the pack, Sir Geoff Hurst would catch the eye by staying on strongly to give chase, but the race would go to Steel Tiger by a length and a half. Fireblade was headed in the closing strides and relegated to third while Nala The Lioness made an encouraging flat debut by travelling smoothly before dropping down to fourth.

It would a first career win at the sixth attempt for the Simon and Ed Crisford-trained gelding Steel Tiger. He is a son of classy French Derby winner Almanzor, as well as the second foal of the Group One placed Mission Impassible. The family goes back to the second dam Margot Did, who famously landed the Group One Nunthorpe Stakes at York in 2011 and produced Japan's top three year old of the year Justin Milano. Steel Tiger showed promise in his first two starts at the beginning of the season when second at Yarmouth twice. On those occasions, he would chase home horses who had previously won a race, Moon Over Miami and Theory Of Tides. Next time at Salisbury, he would take a step backwards when only fifth and was subsequently given a gelding operation and a summer break. Returning to action at Nottingham in October, he would plug on into third on heavy ground despite the lack of fitness. On his most recent start, a first taste of the all-weather at Southwell, Steel Tiger was ridden from the front and overhauled towards the finish by three better finishers. 

The form of the race can be questioned as some of the leading protagonists failed to run their race, but it looked an interesting novice beforehand. Steel Tiger would go on to win in decent style having been ideally placed by Harry Davies early on, sitting just behind the leaders and going for home early. Without showing star quality here, Steel Tiger should continue to perform well in handicaps through the winter with experience to call upon. 

Race Three: The Gamble Responsibly With BetMGM Novice Stakes - 2-Y-O Only - Class Five - Seven Furlongs - Runners: 10

The second of the novice contests would see a field of two year olds go to post and some held some lofty reputations. Races of this nature often possess the potential to unearth a smart horse for next year and plenty of leading stables would be represented. 

John and Thady Gosden's newcomers at Newcastle warrant automatic interest given the success of Enable and Stradivarius in the past and this time they would be represented by debutant Ashmolean. The colt is beautifully bred as a son of high class mare Coronet. Next up would be the John Butler-trained Azoozi, who has finished midfield in a pair of novices on turf. This would be his first taste of the all-weather. Ed Walker's string would be represented by the twice-raced Fort George, who improved from his debut effort to finish a close second over course and distance last time out. Another well bred newcomer would be James Ferguson's Gunship, who is related to plenty of winners; including an Irish Guineas winner. Another high profile yard with an interest in the race would be William Haggas with Merchant. The colt made his first outing at the final meeting of the year at Newmarket and despite a midfield finish, he caught the eye by doing his best work at the end. The Ollie Pears-trained Return With Gold would lack in the pedigree stakes in this contest, but could rely on previous experience. The gelding has finished no better than midfield in two starts to date. Another leading stable with a runner in this race would be the Roger Varian team with Sudu, a colt who made his debut just over a month ago. Facing heavy ground at Newbury, he would finish well behind in fifth and this surface could be more beneficial. The silks of football legend Sir Alex Ferguson have been carried to big race success on the world stage and they would be seen at Newcastle with Triple Double A, trained by Hugo Palmer. The colt showed inexperience on his debut at Kempton before finishing tailed off, but that was in a competitive race. Sir Mark Prescott's Warrnambool defied expectations by finishing third on debut at Kempton over seven furlongs, but failed to back it up next time over ten furlongs. He would be another handicapping prospect with his connections. The field would be completed by Kevin Ryan's West Tyrone, who has been gelded since his last appearance in September, but finished just outside the podium places on both starts to date. 

Winner: GUNSHIP (#4) (Sea The Stars x Lucky Clio) - D. Muscutt - J. Ferguson

The most intriguing contest of the night would get underway and the majority would leave the stalls in orderly fashion. Ashmolean would miss the break slightly and was on the back foot immediately as Fort George swerved to his left slight. The field would race in an arrow formation as the keen going Triple Double A cut out the early running alongside Fort George. West Tyrone would also race close to the pace early on along with the newcomer Gunship and Sudu. The slow starting Ashmolean recovered to take a midfield position with fellow Newmarket challenger Merchant as the outsiders Azoozi, Return With Gold and Warrnambool brought up the rear.

The pace began to lift entering the final two furlongs and the order would change. Fort George held onto his narrow lead under Paul Mulrennan, but began to drift to his left. He would carry Sudu across the track towards the far rail, but both horses continued with forward momentum. Gunship would run to a true line and showed a nice change of gear to inch past Fort George inside the final half furlong. As the pair battled it out for the win, Merchant would pick up strongly from out of the pack and flashed home inside the final fifty yards to make it a three way go for first. The trio crossed the line together and the judge was called upon to split them. Following a short wait, the verdict was given to Gunship by a short head over Merchant with Fort George a further neck behind in third. Sudu would run to the same level as his debut in fourth while Azoozi did his best work at the finish into fifth. The Gosden's Ashmolean could only manage seventh, but showed a small amount of promise.

This race looked to be a stronger than average race for Newcastle and it is likely that a good portion of the runners will go on to win a race in the short term future. The winner Gunship represented powerful owners Qatar Racing and China Racing Club and was an expensive purchase at the sales. A son of modern great Sea The Stars and a half brother to numerous talented winners such as the sprinter Lucky Beggar and most significantly Phoenix Of Spain, who landed the Irish 2000 Guineas in 2019. He looked well in the preliminaries and behaved well on his debut, defying inexperience to hold off a fast finishing runner up who also looks to be talented. His trainer James Ferguson has gone through a more quieter spell in the past two years having burst onto the scene in 2021, but the performance of this colt should give plenty of hope to the Newmarket yard into next year. With stamina and speed influences in the pedigree, it will be interesting to see which route Gunship takes, but he could be aimed at Derby or Guineas trials next spring.

Race Four: The Boost Your Acca With BetMGM Nursery Handicap - 2-Y-O Only - Class Six - Seven Furlongs - Runners: 7

The action would remain with the youngsters with a nursery handicap over seven furlongs, the like of which has been a common feature in recent months at Newcastle. Many runners in the race will be crossing paths for more than the first time and rivalries will be renewed in this class six contest. 

The top weight Saxon Raider lined up for the Charlie Johnston stable having won in comprehensive style on handicap debut at Southwell. He was unable to confirm the form next time out, but couldn't gain an easy lead. Top Bins comes from the family of some high class performers and made a good start to his career with three placings on turf. Hugo Palmer's colt would run below form however last time out on all-weather debut at Southwell. The Archie Watson-trained Kammeel has raced exclusively at Kempton so far in his light career and ran his best race to date last time when third. This would be a first attempt at Newcastle. Ed Walker's Reporter is bred to be better than this level but has run with credit in three starts so far. He would finish third at Kempton in September before filling the same position back on turf last time. Space Raider would line up for the Craig Lidster stable in this contest and his best effort this year has been a third at massive odds at Pontefract.  The Kevin Ryan stable often do well in contests such as this and would be represented by Sherlock here. He has improved since switching to the all-weather and was caught close home last time out at Southwell. Richard Fahey's Mrbluesky ran his best race at York in June when third in a selling race, but has yet to back it up. This would be first attempt at seven furlongs and the all-weather. 

Winner: KAMMEEL (#3) (Sergei Prokofiev x Hadeeya) - L. Morris - A. Watson

Despite a field of seven, this looked to be a competitive contest and a tricky one to solve. The lead through the opening exhanges would be shared by the two 'Raiders' as Charlie Johnston's Saxon Raider and Craig Lidster's Space Raider took each other on during the first half of the race. Just behind the pair would be Sherlock, who raced keenly and Kammeel with Reporter and Top Bins the next pair. Bringing up the rear would be Mrbluesky as the field cantered down the floodlit straight course.

Space Raider won the argument for the lead and travelled nicely under Will Pyle as the attention of Saxon Raider had been burned off. Inside the final furlong, Kammeel and Reporter surpassed Space Raider in the lead and went head to head towards the finish line. Under a strong drive from Luke Morris, Kammeel began to gain the upper hand over Reporter and began to pull ahead inside the final yards. The front two came nicely clear of Mrbluesky, who did his best work at the finish having been held up early on while the early leader Space Raider went the other way and weakened into fourth.

It would be first win for the gelded juvenile Kammeel and a successful handicap debut. The son of Sergei Prokofiev had previously shown little in his first two starts at Kempton, when sent off at big starting prices. He would return to Kempton for his third and latest start, once again sent off at massive odds, but he defied expectations by staying on into third behind the good prospect Push The Limit. Arriving at Newcastle for the Archie Watson stable which often do well at the venue, Kammeel knuckled down well in battle and showed improvement for handicaps. The two-year-old is bred for the discipline as a half brother to the popular handicapper Ropey Guest, who developed a cult following for his regular placings in high class handicaps at Ascot and Newmarket. Although this race was a much lower level, it is feasible that Kammeel could progress through the handicap ranks and even look to emulate the achievements of his half brother. 

Race Five: The Weekly £5 Free Bet With BetUK Handicap - Class Six - Six Furlongs - Runners: 11

The low grade racing continued with this six furlong handicap which saw a deep field and a competitive nature. There was a bumper turnout for the race at first entry stage with connections seeming eager to get their horses back on the racecourse, but come race time, the field had been whittled down to a respectable twelve. 

The top weight would go to the chestnut Golden Duke, who carried the hopes of the Owners Group and he has been running well recently without looking the winner. Nigel Tinkler's runner has finished on the scene throughout the season. HK Fourteen found a large jolt of improvement to win three in a row at this level for trainer Tony Carroll, but his winning streak came to an end here last time out. The six year old Phoenix Reach swapped the Richard Fahey yard for Scott Dixon's in August this year and made an instant impact by winning on stable debut. Since then, he has finished in the placings at Wolverhampton but was below form here last time out. The Geoff Harker-trained Hail Sezer is a horse who needs things to go his way, but was a winner on seasonal debut at Catterick in August. He remains lightly raced on the all-weather and needed a good pace to aim at. Dylan Cunha would send up Jackson Street from his Newmarket base and the three year old returned to the scene of his best performance to date, a decent second in September. The Tim Easterby-trained Glendown has a decent record at this level and ran well here in October. More recently, the six year old scored on the surface for the first time at Southwell last time out. Nelson Gay surpassed the fifty race mark on his latest start, but it has been a while since he last tasted success. The former course winner would step up to six furlongs for the first time in over two years. The Iain Jardine-trained Kats Bob is another who knows his way around this place and has finished just outside the podium on his latest two starts. Katie Scott would be another Scottish based trainer to be represented as she saddled Clasina in this contest. The filly is more lightly raced than most in the lineup and dropped down to a sprint trip for the first time. Mark Usher's Conquest Of Power won two races back to back earlier in the year, but has been out of form more recently on both turf and this surface. The field would be completed by Antony Brittain's Bellagio Man, another Newcastle regular. The six year old has been finishing well in recent starts to return in the frame. 

Winner: JACKSON STREET (#5) (Dandy Man x Archetypal) - K. Strydom - D. Cunha

The field would be reduced by one as half of Iain Jardine's two-pronged attack in the race Wee Fat Mac was withdrawn earlier in the day. It left a field of eleven to go to post and the tightly knit race got underway with an even break. The sole Iain Jardine runner Kats Bob would set off into an early lead under Archie Young as Glendown, Clasina and HK Fourteen would chase the pace. There would be a few to race keenly further back in the order such as Golden Duke and Nelson Gay. 
Approaching the halfway stage, Kats Bob began to lengthen his advantage and the chestnut was soon clear by numerous lengths. Entering the final furlong, Kats Bob still had his rivals in trouble but the advantage began to thin. HK Fourteen was first of those to challenge the leader as Jackson Street emerged from the pack to lay down his claim. Up front, Kats Bob began to paddle and Jackson Street began to flash home under Kyle Strydom. He would then overhaul the leader inside the final fifty yards and take home the prize. Geoff Harker's Hail Sezer would make his customary late headway inside the final furlong to take third, ahead of HK Fourteen in fourth. 

It would be a notable success on both equine and human sides as Jackson Street landed his first career win, providing his trainer Dylan Cunha with a first Newcastle winner as well as fiftieth winner in the UK since moving from South Africa in 2022. The three year old is bred to be smart as a full brother to the very smart Lord Of The Lodge, a Group Three runner up and Listed race winner for the Karl Burke stable. Jackson Street began his career with the same Middleham based team until June this year where he moved down to Newmarket with the up and coming stable of Dylan Cunha. The Dandy Man gelding had run well on occasions before, including when second at Newcastle back in September, before posting another good effort last time at Wolverhampton when third.  Dropping back to six furlongs that day, he made good late headway and it appears that the key has been found to Jackson Street's potential. He will likely continue to run well at this sort of level over sprint trips.