Newcastle Racecourse: The place for future stars

In 2014, when plans were proposed to replace the turf course at Newcastle with an all-weather track, a significant number of trainers – from various areas of the UK – voiced their displeasure, the majority seemingly against the decision to abolish one of the county’s fairest turf tracks, and one that was steeped in history. An online petition was launched by the National Trainers’ Federation, which included the names of Classic-winning trainers John Gosden, Luca Cumani and Sir Michael Stoute.

Newmarket handler Ed Vaughan went as far as to say that tearing up the turf track at Newcastle was ‘an act of vandalism’, while Ralph Beckett was one of several who vented his feelings on Twitter, stating it was ‘difficult to think of a more depressing announcement for the sport.’

In contrast, Malton-based Richard Fahey greeted the idea with more enthusiasm, saying: “I think we need an all-weather track, and whether that is at Newcastle or not, we had to get one sooner rather than later. If no other course wants to take the bull by the horns and set the wheels in motion, I don’t see why it shouldn’t be Newcastle.”

It was June 2015 when the BHA finally approved an application from Arena Racing Company (ARC) for Newcastle to participate in the fixture allocation process for 2016 as an all-weather track. The redevelopment cost ARC £12 million, and the inaugural meeting took place on the 17th May 2016. It was well supported, featuring an eight-race card involving a total of 97 runners.

John Gosden, who was originally against the redevelopment, appears to have changed his mind. He had just 12 runners on the turf course from the beginning of 2013 until its closure, but has since saddled 54 runners on the all-weather course, operating at a 31% strike rate (17 wins). While noting that there have been 782 all-weather races compared to 382 on the turf over the periods we are dealing with here, it is still a large discrepancy.

Gosden explained: ‘Unlike the other all-weather tracks where they have to race around bends and can get into trouble, the straight mile at Newcastle is very fair and we're always keen to support it.’

That statement certainly rings true, with the yard’s subsequent Group 1 winners Enable, Without Parole and Stradivarius all breaking their maiden tag – in a novice stakes in Without Parole’s case – over the straight mile. At the time – and perhaps with a hint of snobbishness when studying the form for future races - not many people would have thought that those three would reach the heights they have since, recording eight wins at the highest level between them.

Kings Shield was another two-year-old to make a winning debut at Newcastle and, though he hasn’t quite reached the heights of the above-mentioned three yet, he showed himself a smart performer when finishing fifth in the St James’s Palace won by Without Parole at Royal Ascot last time.

There are other southern trainers that are using Newcastle more now, too, notably David Simcock, who has sent nearly six times as many runners to the track since 2016. Hugo Palmer is another who has been a supporter of the new surface, while James Fanshawe had only one runner on the turf track between 2013 and 2016, but has had a total of 38 runners since. One of those was Higher Power, last year’s winner of the Northumberland Plate, who returns to defend his crown on Saturday.

The table below shows horses that have raced at all-weather venues in the UK since Newcastle switched, and have since gone on to run to a very smart level on Timeform’s scale.

As you can see, while the all-weather track at Newcastle is still in its infancy, it has been the chosen venue for three of the best five horses to have run on an artificial surface in the UK since 2016 – all trained by Gosden.

With this in mind, it is not surprising that the level of performance – on Timeform’s scale – has also increased in certain races. The Chipchase Stakes (a Group 3 over six furlongs), for example, had a peak performance rating of 116 on the turf, set by Jack Dexter in 2013. However, the Owen Burrows-trained Markaz achieved a rating of 121 when winning the same race on the all-weather in 2016, and the average rating of the top four in this year’s field is in excess of 117.

The Northumberland Plate, which takes place this weekend, is the most prestigious Flat race held at Newcastle. It has been well supported since switched to the all-weather in 2016, attracting a maximum field of 20 each year, in contrast to the 2013 renewal which saw just 16 runners take their chance on testing ground.

Indeed, both the number and quality of horses running at the course since the new track was laid back up the course’s positive financial figures.

Turnover rose by 25% in the 2016-2017 financial year, from £9.96m to £12.43m, largely as a result of a leap in the number of events the racecourse held, from 29 fixtures in 2015 to 62 in 2017.

On the track, Newcastle handicap winners on turf had an average Timeform rating of 78.6, and 79.8 on the all-weather, so there was a small improvement in quality, while field sizes have remained pretty consistent.

Thanks to the likes of Gosden, who also saddled Jack Hobbs and Wings of Desire at Wolverhampton, in 2014 and 2016 respectively, the snobbery against all-weather form appears to be diminishing.

Despite the initial outcry, Newcastle, it seems, has found its place.