FIVE-DAYS of fantastic action, which brought over 224,0000 race-goers through the gates of Royal Ascot at York last week, came to a gloriously sunny end on Saturday with two more locally-trained winners, Titus Alone and Bandari.

But it wasn't only a triumph for those two Yorkshire horses, it was also a resounding success for our region and all-concerned in the temporary switch of the world-famous fixture from Berkshire to the Knavesmire, the site where the infamous highwayman, Dick Turpin, was hanged in 1739.

Her Majesty The Queen, who stayed at Garrowby, the home of the Earl of Halifax, was present all week to lead the daily Royal Procession, much to the delight of the massive home crowds.

The Duke of Devonshire, The Queen's representative, looked back over the five days by saying: "We are delighted to have staged such a successful, popular, and high quality Royal meeting at York this year while Ascot's redevelopment is taking place.

"We have been overwhelmed by the way the event has been embraced in the region and the welcome we have received. The operation has required huge planning, not just on Ascot's side but from everyone involved. The City of York council and the North Yorkshire police must take the most credit for leading on the traffic and public transport plan."

Although The Queen's runner, Promotion, failed to get in the money, the North-East fared better by virtue of Howard Johnson's Masta Plasta, who hit bullseye when the County Durham-based two-year-old took Thursday's Norfolk Stakes.

Referring to the mandatory top hat and tails required for the Royal Enclosure, the ex-full-time farmer, Johnson, quipped: "It's great to have a winner here, but it takes me all my time to get this clobber on, I'm more of a cloth cap man myself!"

For the first three days it seemed as if there wasn't going to be a Yorkshire-trained triumph, that was until Middleham's Melrose Avenue won Friday's Queen's Vase, the 23rd of the 30 scheduled races.

And thankfully that wasn't end of story because Sutton Bank near Thirsk-based, Titus Alone, quickly added to the tally by taking Saturday's curtain raiser, the Windsor Castle Stakes.

"It's great when the plan you have laid comes off, and very good to have a winner trained in Yorkshire and ridden by a jockey, Kevin Darley, who lives in Yorkshire," said Bryan Smart, claiming a first-ever strike at the Royal meeting.

Mark Johnston, responsible for breaking the ice with Melrose Avenue, then completed a storming Yorkshire three-timer when Bandari raised the roof by nabbing the following Hardwicke Stakes.

"It's a race I have a bit of a love affair with.

"The frustrating thing is that Bandari keeps winning Group 2 races against Group 1 horses, without notching a Group 1 himself.

"He's a bit like Fruits Of Love, who also won the Prince Of Wales's Stakes and twice previously won this race for us."

The international flavour of the fixture was never more evident than when Cape Of Good Hope, trained in Hong Kong by David Oughton, became the first horse from outside Europe to prevail at this year's Royal meeting by snapping up the Golden Jubilee Stakes.

"It means an awful lot to me to come back here and win a prize like this," said the former Findon-in-Sussex handler, from where his father Alan, and mother Diane, trained before him prior to his switch to Hong Kong in 1987.

Sir Michael Stoute (4), and Mick Kinane (6), were confirmed as top trainer and jockey at the festival when Notable Guest comfortably took the penultimate Duke of Edinburgh Handicap.

l Colin Woods (Janus) advised Northern Echo SPORT readers to back Titus Alone (11-4, nap), plus Bandari (10-1), as well as yesterday's winning Warwick nap selection, Currency (5-1).

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