RELIABLE Raphael (3.20) rates a first-class each-way bet on day one of Newcastle's eagerly-awaited Northumberland Plate meeting.

Tim Easterby's tough-as-teak mare rarely fails to give anything less than 110 per cent, a trait worth its weight in gold when faced with the prospect of having to fend off a big field of seven-furlong specialists in the feature race on the card, the £30,000 TSG Seaton Delaval Trophy Handicap.

Raphael has either won, or finished in the first four, in 15 of her last 23 races, superb statistics that speak volumes as regards her admirable level of consistency.

She also acts on any ground and responds kindly to vigorous handling, a fact which should not be lost on prospective punters since Tim has taken the precaution of booking Robert Winston, one of the strongest jockeys currently operating on the northern circuit.

Winston and Easterby also team up with Most Definitely (3.50) in the earlier two-mile IBM Handicap.

Frustratingly for connections, Most Definitely has been suffering from a shocking attack of seconditis, having occupied that position on all of his last six starts. Some cynics would say the four-year-old is something of a professional loser, however there was nothing wrong with his attitude when keeping on gamely to chase home Sahem at Carlisle on his seasonal reappearance.

There are a couple of brain-teasing sprints at Thirsk for punters to try to crack, most notably the five-furlong Jack Calvert Handicap.

As usual, sprint king Dandy Nicholls has a couple of leading contenders, namely Proud Native and Awake (3,30), a pair of Pattern race class individuals in the past, prior to plunging back down the ratings.

Awake certainly appreciated the official handicapper's leniency when coming good at Chester 16 days ago, blowing away the opposition with a spine-tingling burst of acceleration to pull miles clear of his toiling rivals inside the final furlong.

Predictably, he's risen 8lb in the weights as a result of that facile success but while in his current mood, Awake still gets the nod in the £8,000 contest.

In the following Skipton Fillies Handicap, Westcourt Dream (4.00) makes plenty of appeal, having sluiced up at Beverley on her latest outing.

Maybe Mick Easterby miscalculated by persisting to run the filly over a mile trip in the first part of the season, because despite trying hard, she simply could not get her head in front where it matters.

But as soon as he stepped Westcourt Dream up to ten furlongs she whizzed in pulling the proverbial cart at the east Yorkshire venue. Easterby has now gone the whole hog and is running his progressive filly over a mile-and-a-half, a distance which in my view is going to bring about yet further improvement.

While Michael Dods' horses are in such irresistible heart, it would be churlish to ignore the prospects of Hamilton-bound Aagowangowan (9.35) and Bundy (9.35), both of whom are fully primed for success.

* Day Flight has been given the go-ahead to take on North Light and company in the Budweiser Irish Derby at the Curragh on Sunday.

John Gosden's colt won the Glasgow Stakes at York by 20 lengths on only his second start and then went on to finish a one-and-a-quarter-length fourth behind Blue Canari in the French Derby at Chantilly.

Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to Day Flight's owner Khalid Abdullah, said: ''He worked nicely at Manton this morning and he's an intended runner, but it's going to be a real contest."

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