SMARTLY-DRESSED women jostled with celebrities at this year's Northumberland Plate race meeting at the weekend.

The annual event, also known as the Pitmen's Derby, attracted as many as 35,000 people over two days of racing at Newcastle Racecourse.

More than 20,000 attended for Saturday's nail-biting finish of the 159th event, which is Europe's richest two-mile handicap race, with a total of £300,000 in prize money up for grabs.

Among the famous faces who were spotted cheering on their bets were Newcastle United football star Alan Shearer, the Lord Mayor of Newcastle, Councillor John Marshall; and Newcastle Falcons rugby team manager Rob Andrews.

The event culminated in an epic battle between favourite Mr Dinos and 8-1 hopeful Bangalore, as the pair surged towards the finish line. Bangalore, who won the Chester Cup two years ago, came in first, scooping both the plate and the £100,000 first prize.

The race began on Newcastle's Town Moor in 1833, moving to its current venue of Newcastle Racecourse in 1882.