Lightly-weighted Cyrian can see off favourites

Stepped up into uncharted territory over two and a half miles at Royal Ascot last time, Cyrian's petrol gauge was reading empty as they turned into the straight.

But dropped back four furlongs in trip, he is fancied to land the £120,000 `Newcastle Brown Ale' Northumberland Plate Handicap at Gosforth Park today.

Paul Cole's son of Persian Bold is a progressive sort, who looks attractively weighted in this wide-open contest.

Some might argue that with Richard Quinn aboard Windsor Castle, Cyrian must be the stable's second-string but on his run in the Tote Chester Cup behind Silence In Court, he has the beating at the weights of Leonato and Mithak.

Furthermore, Windsor Castle's presence at the top of the weights ensures that Cyrian gets in here off a real feather-burden and the selection should lack nothing in assistance from the saddle with Tim Sprake booked.

Proven on all surfaces, Cyrian looks a good bet to give punters a big run for small money in what is always a difficult contest to assess.

Likely favourite Arctic Owl evidently has the best form coming into the race but flopped mysteriously when fancied for the November Handicap last term and looks best opposed at the likely odds.

Gaelic Storm can defy topweight in the Tote Northern Sprint Trophy for Mark Johnston and Darryll Holland.

Johnston's Middleham yard is firing on all cylinders after a sluggish start and this horse has the potential to land a couple of decent prizes this term.

There was much to like about the style of his success over Double Action last time and any cut in the ground will be appreciated.

French Connection was strongly fancied by his trainer Jack Berry for the Britannia Handicap at the Royal meeting but missed the cut by one.

And the three-year-old, who had earlier defeated Lucayan Indian at Haydock, can gain consolation in the UK Land Estates Trophy Handicap.

Hidden Meadow looks the one to be on the feature race at Newmarket, the Van Geest Criterion Stakes.

Ian Balding's smart four-year-old emerged through the pack to chase home Intikhab at a respectable distance in the Vodafone Diomed Stakes at Epsom earlier this month.

As the winner went on to take the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot in similarly forthright fashion, Hidden Meadow must have been facing mission impossible in trying to give Intikhab 3lb.

Unicamp created such a favourable impression when making a winning debut at Nottingham last month that the Royal Academy filly will be hard to beat in the British Horse Racing Directory Empress Stakes.

Sidelined 2,000 Guineas runner-up Lend A Hand delighted Mark Johnston in a work-out yesterday and is set to return to action in a fortnight. Out of action since chasing home King Of Kings at Newmarket in May due to a mild bout of coughing, he will have one outing before the Sussex Stakes, his principal mid-season target.

His trainer said: "The horse worked this morning and went particularly well for Darryll Holland over a mile with an older horse and I couldn't be happier with him as he's in fantastic shape."

Owner Maktoum Al Maktoum had originally intended aiming Lend A Hand at the Group One Goodwood contest without a prep run.

But a change of plan will see the colt tackle a race in Germany or France first.

"The big problem is where to run him because there are so few options open to us," Johnston said.