Newcastle-born Brian Ellison trainer celebrated turning 72 on Friday with the best present on Saturday as Onesmoothoperator cruised home in the Northumberland Plate.
Trainer Ellison was born on Pitmen’s Derby day back in 1952. He has never made any secret of his desire to land this prestigious north-east prize and the success of Onesmoothoperator sparked jubilant scenes in the winner’s enclosure at Gosforth Park.
Given a confident ride by Connor Beasley, the 12-1 winner eased through to the front at the furlong pole on the nearside rail and comfortably beat 40-1 outsider Evaluation by two and a half lengths.
Ellison said: “I’ve been wanting to win it for a long time and we knew we had him right. In the last two days, we were a bit worried about the surface being on the soft side, but the lads came in today and said it was riding a lot quicker.
“I told Connor not to worry about the pace, as I knew Tashkhan was going to be up there and made sure there was a good pace. They went a helluva gallop and when this horse is on-song, he’s some animal.
“Turning in I said ‘this has hacked up!’ Connor said he could have won on the bridle, but he’s a good horse when he’s right.
“I don’t think it’s sunk in yet. I thought we’d won it with Seamour one year (2016), when he went clear and got caught, and we’ve come here trying to win it before and been disappointed.
“It’s always in the back of your mind that you’re going to get disappointed and it hasn’t sunk in that we’ve won it, but it’s fantastic.
“Connor used to come to mine to ride when he was a baby, as his mum and dad worked for me. We go back a long way.
“I’m from here and have got a lot of connections here and a lot of family and friends. It’s great for the north and great for Newcastle – it’s a great race to be in.
“It’s got to be (the best day of my training career). Everyone says ‘you’ve got to win the Plate’ and it’s nice to get the monkey off your back.”
Winning owner Patrick Boyle, also a proud Geordie, said: “It’s a big thrill, it’s the biggest race in the north east and I’m from just round the corner.
“He travelled brilliant and we knew the horse was in great form. He has to come off a strong pace and he did. Fair play to Brian and the team, they’re the guys that do it all.
“I think we’ll have a celebration tonight. Brian is a great friend and he’s got family here. It means a lot for him and I’m delighted.”
Montassib runs down Kinross to snatch Chipchase spoils
Montassib claimed the most notable victory of his career to date when narrowly outpointing Kinross in the Jenningsbet Nun Street Newcastle Open Now Chipchase Stakes at Newcastle.
As a dual Group One and multiple Group Two winner, Ralph Beckett’s Kinross brought a touch of star quality to this six-furlong Group Three – and having sidestepped the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot, the seven-year-old was a 5-2 favourite on what his first outing since October.
The William Haggas-trained Montassib, who actually made a winning debut at Newcastle four years ago, landed Doncaster’s Cammidge Trophy on his first start of 2024, before finishing a creditable sixth in last month’s Duke of York Stakes.
After coming under pressure shortly after halfway, Kinross battled his way to the front under Hector Crouch, but he was unable to resist the late surge of 7-2 shot Montassib and Cieren Fallon, who got up to score by three-quarters of a length.
Haggas, who was landing this prize for the third year in succession following the recent triumphs of Sense Of Duty and Tiber Flow, said of his latest victor: “I’m delighted to win a Group Three with him, he’s a good horse who just wants a bit of cut in the ground.
“I’m not sure where we’ll go now, but he won’t go to Goodwood for the Stewards’ Cup. He’d have to carry a Group-race penalty now, so I think we’re doomed (in handicap company).
“I think we’ll stick to stakes races and go wherever we can get a bit of dig in the ground.
Montassib landed the Chipchase stakes at Newcastle
“He’ll be an outsider, but it would be nice to think he might end up running on Champions Day at Ascot.”
Fallon was completing a quick-fire double on the card for his boss after Wiltshire’s victory in the opening race.
He said: “He’s such a good horse and he has such a turn of foot off a strong gallop. We saw it at Doncaster, where he had nowhere to go with half a furlong to go and he got the gap and off he went. It was the same today.
“At York the last day, things didn’t work out, I didn’t give him the best of rides and I had to make up for it today. I was very confident, as with Kinross coming in off such a long lay-off, I thought if I was going to get him anywhere, it was going to be in the last half-furlong and everything went right.”