JenningsBet Northumberland Plate
Heritage Handicap,
Newcastle 15:15
£150,000 guaranteed, 3yo plus,
2m 56y, Class 2   
Saturday 28th June 2025

SureWIn

1 Spirit Mixer 25/1
2 Dancing In Paris 11/1
3 Charging Thunder 22/1
4 Tribal Star 11/1
20 ran Distances: nk, 3l, ½l
Time: 3m 31.28s (fast by 0.52s)

At long last, redemption for Spirit Mixer—third time lucky, and didn’t he deserve it.

Twelve months ago, Andrew Balding’s gallant stayer left Gosforth Park with only a ninth-place finish and plenty of head-scratching, a far cry from the silver medal he’d earned behind Trueshan in 2022. But on a sun-drenched Saturday afternoon in Newcastle, he put the ghosts of the past firmly behind him—storming down the straight to capture the win in a finish as gritty as the coalfields the race commemorates.

A son of Frankel out of Arabian Queen—a breeding page that glows like a crown jewel—Spirit Mixer hadn’t read his starting price. Sent off at 25-1, he was clearly a bigger believer in himself than the betting ring was.

So too, it turns out, was Rob Hornby.

“I never saw him as a 25-1 shot,” he said, grinning from ear to ear, as he soaked up the roars from a buoyant Newcastle crowd. “I’ve won big races on him before, and he was coming in off a proper run at Goodwood.”

There was only one ride on the card for Hornby—no safety net, no side gigs at Windsor—but there was never any question where he’d be.

“This horse has never let me down. He’s just cool. I stuck him in the Sat Nav, saw five-plus hours on the clock, and thought, ‘He’ll make it worth it.’ And he did.”

And how.

In a race that demands staying power, timing and bottle, Spirit Mixer ticked every box. From early positioning to the turn for home, Hornby nursed his mount into the race like a man who knew what was under him. Hitting top gear down the straight, he rolled up alongside Dancing In Paris—a worthy adversary—and the pair knuckled down for a duel that had the crowd on its feet.

Inside the final furlong, it was heart and heritage that told. Spirit Mixer, now a seasoned seven-year-old, found just that bit more in reserve, nosing ahead and refusing to be denied.

A neck was the margin. The cheers were several lengths longer.

“It’s important to ride winners on Saturdays, especially in races like this,” Hornby added. “These colours mean a lot—I’ve won a July Cup in them—and so does riding for Kingsclere. This horse, at his age, is thriving. And it’s just a joy. A real joy.”

For owner Jeff Smith, it was another treasured chapter with a homebred star who keeps writing his own story. For Hornby, it was vindication of faith and familiarity. And for Spirit Mixer—well, the mixer finally spun gold.

They call it the Pitmen’s Derby for a reason. And on this Saturday, it belonged to a horse with blue blood and a working man’s heart.

JenningsBet Northumberland Plate
(Heritage Handicap)
£150,000 guaranteed, 3yo plus, 2m 56y, Class 2
20 ran
Going: Standard

POS. (DRAW) DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 (9)    Spirit Mixer 7 8-10 Andrew Balding Rob Hornby 25/1
2 (3) nk Dancing In Paris 5 8-10 Ian Williams Marco Ghiani 11/1
3 (4) 3 Charging Thunder 7 8-12 James Owen Harry Davies 22/1
4 (6) ½ Tribal Star 4 8-9 Adrian McGuinness Jamie Powell 11/1
5 (2) shd Faylaq 9 9-3 Jim Goldie Paul Mulrennan 25/1
6 (14) 1¼ East India Dock 1 4 9-4 James Owen James Doyle 7/2F
7 (17) hd Shajak 6 8-10 James Owen Luke Morris 40/1
8 (7) shd Onesmoothoperator 7 9-12 Brian Ellison Connor Beasley 16/1
9 (10) 3¼ Roaring Legend 5 9-10 Hugo Palmer David Probert 11/1
10 (18) nk Lavender Hill Mob 4 9-5 James Owen Mason Paetel 40/1
11 (15) ¾ Zanndabad 6 9-0 A J Martin Jim Crowley 13/2
12 (12) 2½ Duke Of Oxford 5 9-2 Michael Bell Taryn Langley 11/1
13 (13) nk Asgard's Captain 5 8-12 Dylan Cunha Sean Levey 18/1
14 (11) 7½ Golden Rules 8 8-11 Thomas Faulkner Silvestre De Sousa 14/1
15 (19) nk Who's Glen 4 9-0 Andrew Balding P J McDonald 17/2
16 (5) 6 Imperial Sovereign 4 9-3 Philip Kirby Saffie Osborne 50/1
17 (20) 32 Manxman 5 9-2 Simon & Ed Crisford Daniel Muscutt 12/1
18 (8) 9 Intinso w 5 8-12 Craig Lidster Sam James 100/1
19 (16) 39 Alrazeen 4 8-9 Gay Kelleway Warren Fentiman 50/1
20 (1) 99 Pappano 4 9-3 2 W P Mullins Jamie Spencer 12/1