Video: Boycott’s racing certainty on shock day at Ebor

“I like horse racing, My wife loves it, absolutely loves it,” the cricket legend told The Yorkshire Post today.

“She’s a lucky beggar, my Rachael. We went to the races once and she won the first six races and then we went hone. She’s just won the first race today.”

As Mr Boycott holds forth in the York paddock on the opening day of the Welcome to Yorkshire Ebor Festival – he confidently expects England to win the fifth and final Test that begins tomorrow – his wife is counting her winnings after Recorder, owned by the Queen, won the Tattersalls Acomb Stakes under a power-packed Frankie Dettori ride.

It is a particularly poignant win for Her Majesty – the success came hours after the private funeral of her great sparring partner Sir Peter O’Sullevan, who had been the BBC’s ‘Voice of Racing’ for 50 years before passing away last month at the age of 97.

Yet it was also a chance for Mr Boycott to be reunited with Recorder’s trainer William Haggas who actually had trials for Yorkshire Seconds – he was born in Skipton – before setting up one of the country’s most successful, and respected, Flat yards.

It was a wise move – the trainer’s Storm The Stars is now favourite for next month’s Ladbrokes St Leger after surviving a stewards’ enquiry to win the Great Voltigeur Stakes.

“The nearly captain of Yorkshire,” joked Mr Boycott as he reminisced with the trainer in the winner’s enclosure.

It was that kind of day – acquaintances being renewed as spectators on the Knavesmire enjoyed an intoxicating mix of top class racing and the very best of Yorkshire hospitality at this four day celebration of food and fashion.

There was a huge shock in the feature race, the Juddmonte International, when the Epsom Derby hero Golden Horn was narrowly beaten by the 50-1 rank outsider Arabian Queen Yet owner Jeff Smith’s predominantly purple colours will have been familiar to the more observant racegoers - they had been carried with distinction at York previously by the great Persian Punch and Lochsong, two of Flat racing’s most popular horses, while the filly’s trainer David Elsworth masterminded the career of the legendary steeplechaser Desert Orchid.

This was the type of training performance that would have met with the approval of the training genius Sir Henry Cecil, whose life and times were remembered with the opening of a set of new gates in his memory that are adjacent to a striking statue of his champion racehorse Frankel who lit up York three years ago.

Depicting his initials HRAC, they feature the white rose of Yorkshire – and Frankel pulling clear of his rivals in the 2012 Juddmonte –and were built by York Minster’s blacksmith. They also met with the approval of Sir Henry’s widow Lady Jane, who said: “Henry loved Yorkshire and Yorkshire people and Yorkshire people loved him. He wouldn’t have understood, he would have thought it a lot of fuss, but he would have approved. York, they always do it so perfectly.”

Spectators at Ladies Day tomorrow will be able to take advantage of superb new facilities at York.

A £10m redevelopment of the Northern End has paved the way for sweeping new Champagne terraces overlooking the paddock.

Part of York’s continuing commitment to ensure its facilities rival any racecourse in the world, they mean that spectators can enjoy the racing – and hospitality – in far greater comfort than previous years.

The changes met with approval of Yorkshire and England cricketer Geoffrey Boycott, who dropped a trophy on a previous visit to York at the height of his career. “The development is fantastic, these stands are beautiful,” he said.