THE sun came out in full force as thousands of racegoers descended on the Knavesmire for the final day of the Dante.

The opening three day festival at York Racecourse saw 2018’s racing in the city get underway in traditional style.

While chilly winds swept through the course on Wednesday and Thursday the sun made an appearance on Friday, and jackets and umbrellas were replaced with sunglasses and brightly coloured outfits.

The warmer weather made for the perfect stage to showcase the new £5 million course enclosure, now named the Clocktower Enclosure.

The redevelopment of the infield area included two toilet blocks at either end of the grass banking, twin canopies either side of the famous Clocktower that offer catering and betting facilities as well as some racegoer cover, improved access for pushchairs and wheelchairs plus a refurbishment of the turnstiles.

James Brennan, head of marketing at York Racecourse, said: “It has, as we would hope for, at this meeting been all about the horses.

“We have seen some super stars. Harry Angel confirmed himself as the best sprinter in the world on day one.

“Then we may have unearthed a real contender for the derby as Roaring Lion certainly made a noise. If he wins at Epsom he will be the 11th horse to do the York double.

“There is a real buzz when you see real horses doing well.

“We saw Frankie Dettori with his second flying dismount of the week today on Stradivarius.

“It’s all about seeing these star horses come through.

“It has been a strong week for the northern yards taking their share of the £1.2 million in prize money.

“Off the track we were blessed with sun on Friday.”

He said the new Clocktower Enclosure seemed to have been welcomed by the racegoers.

He added: “Thank you to everyone for their support over the last tree days and we look forward to welcoming them back for our first Saturday meeting when we host a brand new race, the Al Basti Equiworld Dante Cup.”