Paul Mulrennan claims landmark 1,000th winner ahead of Royal Ascot

The Boroughbridge-based jockey, who featured in The Yorkshire Post on Saturday, reached the milestone aboard Camacho Chief in the five-furlong sprint.

Mulrennan, 37, paid tribute to his family, trainers, owners and stable staff who have supported him throughout his career.

“The late Patrick Haslam gave me my first winner. He’s probably looking down and thinking ‘how the hell has he ridden 1,000 winners?’” said Mulrennan, who punched the air as he passed the winning post.

“I’m feeling young and fit so will keep going.”

The latest jockey to reach four figures following Danny Tudhope, it was appropriate Tudhope achieved the feat on a horse trained by Michael Dods.

Mulrennan won back-to-back renewals of York’s Nunthorpe Stakes on the Dods-trained Mecca’s Angel – and partners Mabs Cross, another sprinter, in the King’s Stand Stakes on the opening day of Royal Ascot.

The Boroughbridge-based jockey sat on Mabs Cross, last year’s Nunthorpe runner-up, over the weekend and reporter her to be in fine form.

“She’s as tough as old boots,” he added.

Mabs Cross was third in last year’s race to Blue Point and Battaash who head the field for this week’s fiercely competitive renewal.

One of the races of the meeting, it features Malton trainer John Quinn’s Signora Cabello who won at the Royal meeting last year and Soldier’s Call who runs in the colours of leading Yorkshire businessman Steve Parkin.

In other news, jockey James Doyle is free to keep the ride on Yorkshire Oaks heroine Sea Of Class in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes on Wednesday.

It comes after Godolphin confirmed that Masar, last year’s Epsom Derby hero, will swerve the race and make his long-awaited comeback in the lesser Hardwicke Stakes on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Recon Mission made every yard of the running to land the £100,000 Pavers Foundation Catherine Memorial Sprint Handicap at York for trainer Tony Carroll and jockey Robert Winston.

Two lengths clear with more than a furlong to run, it was a matter of if his stamina would hold out, as the favourite Victory Day charged out of the pack under Jamie Spencer.

“He likes it out in front if he can, he’s a nice horse, very talented,” said Carroll, who was recording his biggest success in Britain since winning the Epsom Dash with Caspian Prince in 2014. “He’s in the Wokingham at Royal Ascot, but it would be a bit tough on him to go again so soon against older horses. The Ayr Gold Cup might be for him later on.”

Meanwhile, Phil Makin, the latest addition to North Yorkshire’s training ranks, recorded his first York winner when Galloway Hills took the concluding six furlong handicap under Sean Davis, this season’s leading apprentice.

Makin was a successful jockey in Yorkshire before he suffered a career-ending fall last summer.

A record £640,000 was raised for cancer charity Macmillan at York on Saturday’s raceday. Nearly £9m has now been generated since the inaugural raceday in 1971.

It was also appropriate the race for charity riders went to Charlotte Atkinson on Instant Attraction – the horse is trained at Middleham by Jedd O’Keeffe who is a cancer survivor himself.