Nosferatu could give trainer her second Plate win NOSFERATU is favourite to give Amanda Perrett her second victory in the John Smith's Northumberland Plate at Newcastle on Saturday. The Pulborough trainer sent out Bangalore to land the valuable staying handicap in 2002 and has a leading fancy in the lightly-raced four-year-old. He advertised his claims by taking a competitive mile-and-a-half handicap at Epsom on Derby day and he steps up to an extended two miles for the first time. He is 6-1 with Ladbrokes, whose spokesman David Williams said: "Nosferatu's victory looked decent enough but the way in which the form of that race has worked out explains his position at the top of our betting. "Amanda Perrett's gelding won't have it all his own way though. We reckon Right To Play is the natural opposition as Jimmy Fortune seeks to extend his recent great run and Chester Cup winner Greenwich Meantime looked better than ever last time out." Nosferatu is only 11-2 with William Hill, but totesport go a more generous 7-1. Their spokesman Paul Petrie said: "Nosferatu looks still to be a couple of steps ahead of the handicapper and will be the one to beat on Saturday." Tim Fitzgerald is hoping Inchnadamph will get the chance to show his true colours after being denied a clear run in the Ascot Stakes in which he finished 12th to Full House. "He seems to be fine, but we've not done a lot with him since Ascot. I thought I'd better put him in, he got no run at all at Ascot," said Fitzgerald. We'll just have to see if he gets in. If he sneaks in at the bottom he'll run." The maximum field allowed is 20 and Inchnadamph is only number 36 after 51 were left in at yesterday's confirmation stage. Irish trainer John Queally confirmed Al Eile will be travelling over from his County Waterford base, as long as the seven-year-old comes through a crucial workout on Wednesday morning. The Aintree Hurdle winner skipped the Chester Cup in preference for a tilt at this £200,000 prize and Queally is just hoping the race goes ahead after the recent heavy rain. "It looks like we'll have a maximum field. Geordieland coming out is not ideal but he's not too badly handicapped," said Queally. "We are hoping to travel. He does a bit of work on Wednesday morning and that will tell us a lot. "He just got held up for a day or two last week after a little setback. We would hope to be going and we'll make a decision on Wednesday. "Even though there is all that rain around, it won't be as bad as what he used to race on in the winter, it won't be winter ground soft. "I'm hoping Fran Berry will ride him as he normally does but he might have commitments on the Curragh." | 
