Racing: Displaced Ascot a right royal success

LONDON - The Royal Ascot meeting at the northern England track of York has been declared a success by the Duke of Devonshire, Queen Elizabeth's representative at the fixture.

More than 224,00 people attended the five-day meeting, 76,000 fewer than at Ascot last year before the track closed for redevelopment, but still a healthy figure.

York has a capacity of 56,000 compared with Ascot's 80,000 and the Duke said: "We are delighted to have staged such a successful, popular and high-quality royal meeting.

"We have been overwhelmed by the way the event has been embraced in the region and the welcome we have received."

Thursday, traditionally ladies' day at the royal fixture and always a sell-out in the south, attracted the biggest crowd of the week at 50,510 followed closely by Friday (49,562) and Saturday (48,539).

Clearly, not all the socialites were prepared to embark on the 350km trip north but those that did witnessed the usual high-class fare, spiced with an added international flavour.

Globe-trotting sprinter Cape Of Good Hope topped the week by winning Saturday's Golden Jubilee Stakes to become the first horse trained in Hong Kong to win a race at a Royal Ascot meeting.

Four victories for Ireland and three for France brought the overseas tally for the week to eight from 30 races, one short of the record set in 1975.

Cape Of Good Hope's victory helped Mick Kinane to the fixture's top rider award with six winners. It was a fourth such success for Kinane, who now joins Frankie Dettori on 37 winners overall as the most successful jockey at the meeting.

Kinane, who turns 46 next week, said: "The boys in the weighing room having been getting on to me because I had my first Royal Ascot winner in 1982."

Dettori was forced to sit out the meeting, serving a ban for careless riding earlier in the month but returns to action this week.

Among Dettori's targets will be next month's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes, another Ascot jewel being held at Newbury this time round.

- REUTERS