YORK Racecourse has reached the half way point in its 2017 season.

Course chiefs estimate around 34,000 people went through the Knavesmire turnstiles on Saturday - slightly down on last year’s figure as many were kept away by poor weather forecasts.

Marketing manager James Brennan said that despite the rain, York still saw probably the biggest racing crowd in the country that day.

The course now faces a two-week wait until the music showcase weekend with Jess Glynne. Staff will come back in on Monday and “dust themselves down” before getting on with more preparations, he added.

Saturday’s meeting marked the half way point of the season with excitement now building for the Welcome to Yorkshire Ebor festival in August.

The 2017 season so far has seen the new day of racing with Olly Murs on July 1 attract around 43,000 people, while the Macmillan charity day raised a record £500,000.