Trainer Brian Ellison fulfilled a long-held dream by winning Saturday’s Northumberland Plate with Onesmoothoperator, and now plans to aim the horse straight for the Sky Bet Ebor.
Ellison, a proud Geordie born on Plate day in Newcastle in 1952, had openly expressed his desire to capture the race affectionately known as the ‘Pitmen’s Derby’. Despite coming close with Seamour as a runner-up eight years ago, the Norton-based trainer finally tasted victory in the prestigious Gosforth Park feature last weekend, prompting heartfelt celebrations in the winner’s enclosure.
Reflecting on the achievement, Ellison, who celebrated his 72nd birthday the day before, said, “It was a great day, wasn’t it? The owner lives five minutes from the course, so we went there and had a barbecue and had a good night. On the day it didn’t really sink in, you always think it’s not going to happen, don’t you? But he was very impressive.”
Looking ahead, Ellison has set his sights on another major target, the Ebor at York. Having previously won the prestigious handicap with Moyenne Corniche in 2011, he sees Onesmoothoperator as a strong contender for the August 24 race.
“We’ll look at Ebor, and I think that will probably be his next run,” Ellison confirmed. “It would be nice to win it again and it’s obviously a good money race now (worth £500,000). We’ve found out he wants a bit more time between races, so we probably won’t run again before York.”
Ellison also ran Tashkhan in the Northumberland Plate, a high-class stayer who faded after setting the early pace. Despite the disappointing result, Ellison remains optimistic about Tashkhan’s future, particularly eyeing the Ebor and possibly the Lonsdale Cup.