Knavesmire continuing to pack them in

The world’s best racehorse, Frankel, won the richest race on Knavesmire – the £725,000 Juddmonte International and created a real ‘I was there the day when’ experience for a record opening day crowd at the Welcome to Yorkshire Ebor Festival.

Prize money of over £5m represented the largest investment by the racecourse in executive contribution to prize funds and was rewarded by a series of impressive runners.

As well as Frankel there were horses like Times Up, who will contest on QIPCO British Champion’s Day, whilst the John Smith’s Silver Cup winner, Mount Athos, looks set to represent Luca Cumani in the Melbourne Cup.

Star sprinter of the season, Ortensia, has returned to Australia, having seared her presence into the memories of the York crowd with a stunning final two furlongs in the Group One Coolmore Nunthorpe.

Frankie Dettori won his first Betfred Ebor when partnering Willing Foe to success and his ‘Mobot’ was a fitting tribute to a wonderful summer of sport.

The season also offered strong support to charity with Macmillan Charity Day raising a record sum in excess of £300,000 as well as staging the inaugural Macmillan Charity Race. Working with the PJA and the Stobart Group, over £20,000 was generated in a testimonial evening for injured riders, Rodi Greene and Phil Kinsella.

The last day of the season continued the theme for the year of competitive and high quality racing with Royal Rascal making the Listed Coral Rockingham Stakes her third victory of the season for Malton trainer Tim Easterby. The £75,000 feature of the day, the Coral Sprint Trophy, went to Milton Bradley’s eight-year-old Regal Parade in one of several tightly-contested finishes.

The fiercely-contested HA Fox top trainer prize was only decided in the very last race of the 115-race season when Bridle Belle completed a final day treble for Richard Fahey which meant the Musley Bank handler retained the title for a remarkable seventh consecutive season.

Neighbour Easterby shared the tally of nine winners but was denied on the tie-breaker of second places.

In a similarly grandstand finish, Paul Hanagan retained The Living North Top Jockey title, getting his nose in front after a photo finish aboard Mashaari in the penultimate race of the year. Completing a treble with Bridal Belle, he finished on 10 winners, two ahead of Kieren Fallon and William Buick.

The total attendance for the year was 342,120 – testimony to the enthusiasm for racing in the county despite the wettest summer in 100 years. The 2011 attendance was a record and the combination of wet weather and a direct clash with the Olympic opening ceremony meant that the 2012 total reached a creditable 95 per cent of the previous year.

An independent economic study has concluded that the racecourse is worth £58m per year to the York economy.

Aaim To Prosper created history by becoming the first horse to win the Betfred Cesarewitch at Newmarket for a second time.

The Brian Meehan-trained eight-year-old (66-1) has not been victorious since he struck in this race in 2010, but cashed in courtesy of a never-say-die ride by Kieren Fallon.

Countrywide Flame (7-1 favourite) looked like collaring Aaim To Prosper, but Meehan’s charge was not for passing and held on by half-a-length.

Adam Kirby was made to regret choosing Moohaajim over Reckless Abandon in the Middle Park Stakes as he came away second best in a tight finish.

Kirby rides the majority of horses for Moohaajim’s handler Marco Botti and Clive Cox, the trainer of Reckless Abandon, but was of the belief the former had more potential.

As a result, Cox stuck with the veteran French pilot Gerald Mosse, who had been on board when the colt won the Prix Robert Papin and Prix Morny in France.

Reckless Abandon has shown a quirk or two in the past so Mosse was keen to get the rail which made him an easy target.

Kirby loomed up on Moohaajim and the 9-4 joint-favourites had a great tussle, but it was Reckless Abandon who pulled out more to win by a neck.

Jim Bolger was given formal approval by Sheikh Mohammed to prepare ante-post favourite Dawn Approach for next year’s 2000 Guineas after the colt stretched his unbeaten record to six in the Dubai Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket.

It had not been announced by Godolphin as to whether they would move the chestnut to one of their own trainers or keep him with Bolger, but this solid two-and-three-quarter-length defeat of stablemate Leitir Mor was evidence there was no need to make any changes to his regime.

Orphee Des Lins won the famous Velka Pardubicka at Pardubice in the Czech Republic.

Ridden by Jan Faltejsek, better known for his association with the George Charlton-trained Knockara Beau, he denied Ronino in a thrilling renewal.

The Nick Williams-trained Maljimar fared best of the foreign party in fourth for James Reveley, while Willie Mullins’s Uncle Junior finished sixth.