Hammond Plans to Clean Up in the Plate With Far From Old

Commentators on tomorrow's John Smith's Northumberland Plate, highlight of Newcastle's Flat season, may have to work out French for Haway the Lads. From his base at Chantilly, trainer John Hammond is out to win the north-east's coveted handicap with Far From Old.

Hammond, though born in Bromley, Kent, has long plied his trade as a trainer in France and British racegoers know him best for the high-class Montjeu, whom he trained to win a string of top races, including the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes in 2000.

But Hammond is also a trainer to note with his occasional runners in British handicaps. He won the Wokingham at Royal Ascot in 2003 with Ratio and last year the well-backed Minkowski finished a creditable fourth behind Purple Moon in the Ebor at York.

"Far From Old is probably an eccentric entry," said Hammond yesterday. "He hasn't raced beyond a mile and a half, but he is a half-brother to a stayer and I think he will get two miles." Far From Old, who is related to Montjeu on his dam's side, has won both his starts at Saint-Cloud and Chantilly this year.

"He went up a lot in the ratings for finishing a close fourth in a Listed race last year," said the trainer. "It's hard to know how he fits in with the British opposition, as we don't have these sort of big handicaps over here."

Three of Far From Old's four career wins have come on ground described as soft, or very soft, but Hammond feels something is lost in translation here and he does not want the ground at Newcastle to get too testing. "Souple in France comes out as 'soft' in English form books, but it isn't. Tres souple is soft," explains Hammond. "He's probably better on good ground."

Far From Old, a best-priced 14-1 for the Plate, will be ridden by Thierry Gillet, who is due to have his first ride at Newcastle tonight, albeit in a five-furlongs sprint. The jockey will face an altogether different test in tomorrow's 20-runner race which can be a rough house affair.

The Michael Jarvis-trained Bukit Tinggi is 13-2 favourite with Coral to avenge a narrow defeat behind Missoula in last week's Ascot Stakes. "He appears to be all right but he did have a tough race at Ascot," said Jarvis yesterday. "It remains to be seen how much that has taken out of him. He seems to be fine but until you run them, you can never be quite sure.

"He is running off his old handicap mark, and two miles is probably his best trip. He came to win the Ascot Stakes, got half a length up and in the last 50 metres he just emptied out. The first three were able to nail him on the line."

Sublimity, winner of the 2007 Champion Hurdle and fourth behind Katchit in March, is switching from trainer John Carr to the care of Robbie Hennessy, son of his owner Bill, who is setting up his own stable. Hennessy has ridden much of the work on the eight-year-old at Carr's County Kildare yard.

"There are absolutely no hard feelings," said Carr. "It's not because they are unhappy with anything I have done. I thought I might have the horse for another season as I didn't think Robbie was going to start training so soon, but he has."

Ron Cox's tip of the day

Akram 4.55 Market Rasen

Jonjo O'Neill has his summer jumpers in grand form - he has won with four of his last eight runners - and Akram looks set to keep the momentum going. This one-time useful Flat performer is not the force of old, but he can win a handicap hurdle of this nature judging by his close second behind Apollo Creed last month at Uttoxeter, where he finished 17 lengths clear of the third.