FOR some, it is a wilful abandonment of almost two centuries of tradition. For others, it represents a willingness to move with the times and head in a different direction in order to safeguard the future of the North-East’s premier racing venue. Either way, when Newcastle Racecourse stages the final Northumberland Plate to be run on turf on Saturday, opinion will be well and truly divided.

“I can imagine that there are people out there sticking pins into images of me,” admitted executive director David Williamson. “That’s fine, and I understand that. But there are also a lot of people who are very supportive of what we’re trying to do.

“My motto has always been that you don’t get anywhere in life unless you take a bit of a risk. There’s an element of risk to what we’re doing, but the racecourse is looking tired now, and it needs a big investment. The only way to do that is via the decisions that we’ve made.”

Those decisions involve the construction of a new all-weather circuit that will see Flat racing switch to a tapeta surface from the start of next season. Newcastle will continue to stage jumps racing on turf once the development work is completed, but while there was initially a discussion about staging the Plate as a one-off race on the jumps track, the suggestion has already been dismissed.

Instead, a big increase in prize money will see next year’s Plate become the first £150,000 race to be staged on Newcastle’s new all-weather circuit, with a £75,000 consolation race also added to the programme.

There is a hope that, in time, the popular All-Weather Championship day, currently staged at Lingfield, will also be switched to Gosforth Park, enabling Newcastle to host its first £1m race day.

That would raise the profile of the course significantly, but to most, the Plate will continue to be the stand-out feature of the North-East’s Flat racing programme. Whether it continues to have the same kudos on the all-weather, however, remains to be seen.

“We wouldn’t have done any of this if we thought it was placing the future of the Plate at risk,” said Williamson. “It wouldn’t be Newcastle without the Plate, and we were mindful of that from the moment we started having discussions about a potential move to the all-weather.

“It’s a race that’s steeped in history. The first Plate staged here at Gosforth was in 1833, and you can actually go back to the 1600s when a very similar race was held at Killingworth. That’s the span of time you’re talking about, and we were never going to let that go.

“The Plate is absolutely pivotal to this racetrack, and we were adamant that wasn’t going to change. Some might say it will be a different race in future, but we think it’ll still have the same profile and kudos.

“If anything, we’re hoping it’ll become even bigger. You’ll be talking about a £150,000 race from next season, and we’re confident that prize purse will attract the same high standard of horses that you’ll be seeing this weekend.”

The three-day Plate festival begins tomorrow, and builds towards Saturday’s climax. The Plate, or ‘Pitman’s derby’ as it became known in the last century, is regarded as one of the leading staying handicaps on the calendar, with its two-mile trip making it part of a long-distance programme that also features the Chester Cup and recent Gold Cup at Ascot.

Peter Niven’s Clever Cookie headed the handicap at the five-day declaration stage, having been pulled out of the Ascot Gold Cup when the ground became too quick, and with the seven-year-old already having Chester’s Ormonde Stakes under his belt this season, Williamson is delighted to see such a high-class performer forming part of this weekend’s field.

“You only have to look at the declarations to see we’re talking about a race that is as popular and competitive as ever,” he said. “Clever Cookie would have gone to Royal Ascot as one of the favourites for the Gold Cup if there had been a bit more rain, and we’re delighted that Peter Niven is hopefully going to let him take his chance on Saturday.

“You’re talking about a race now that is attracting Gold Cup level horses. Willie Mullins is starting to make a habit of sending a live contender over from Ireland, and he’s entered Max Dynamite, who you would imagine would have a chance.

“Richard Fahey looks to have a typically strong hand after his success (with Angel Gabrial) last year, and you’ve got some other leading Northern trainers like Brian Ellison who appear to have really targeted the race.

“It all adds up to an exciting afternoon. Hopefully, it’ll be a fitting send off for the Plate as we know it at the moment. Then once all the development work has been completed, we can start planning in earnest for the race’s next era, which we’re confident will be just as big a part of the sporting landscape of Newcastle.”