Yorkshire race showpiece opens in style

The Ebor Racing Festival, widely regarded as the Royal Ascot of the North, got under way with a bang as around 20,000 racegoers enjoyed the first day of the famous Knavesmire meeting - up 30 per cent on the corresponding figure last year.

There was a thrilling day’s racing with Twice Over, trained by the legendary Sir Henry Cecil, pipping Midday to the post to win the prestigious Juddmonte International.

His victory was a popular one and with two Yorkshire winners bringing the day’s racing to a close, it could hardly have worked out better.

The racecourse was bathed in warm sunshine for much of the day as racegoers sipped glasses of Moet on the champagne lawn and picnicked on the freshly mowed grass.

There was the usual mixture of tweed jackets, summer dresses and flamboyant headwear on show, without which Ebor just wouldn’t be the same.

Celebrity spotting is part of the fun here, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and former Leeds United star Eddie Gray among the scattering of famous faces spotted in the crowd.

But above all, Ebor is about top quality horseracing and crowds having a good time.

James Brennan, head of marketing for York Racecourse, was delighted how the opening day panned out.

“We have had a fantastic first day and after the summer we haven’t had it’s great that people have been able to come out with their picnics and enjoy a fantastic day’s racing,” he said.

“The warmth of the reception for Twice Over and Sir Henry Cecil was great to see and people here today have seen a truly memorable day of sport.”

With the weather set fair and three more days of top-quality racing still to come, culminating with the Betfred Ebor being run on a Saturday for the first time, this could be an Ebor festival that lingers long in the memory.