MORE than 20,000 people from all over the north have enjoyed a gloriously sunny meeting at York Racecourse.

It was York's biggest crowd of the season so far on what was the first of seven Saturday fixtures in 2018, with prize money of more than £225,000 to be won through the day.

At least 5,000 of the racegoers were in the newly refurbished Clock Tower Enclosure, many of them locals who had decided on the day to go along and enjoy a picnic on the grass after seeing the fine weather, said course spokesman James Brennan.

“It was great to see the sun shining on our first Saturday meeting and good to see North Yorkshire trained winners, with Richard Fahey and Mark Johnston both having winners,” he said.

He said a Visit England inspector who happened to visit the racecourse on Saturday to carry out an annual audit had seemed impressed by the new facilities in the enclosure, such as the toilets.

Racegoers, who were entertained by the Yorkshire Regimental Band, included Jo Atkinson and her friends and colleagues, who had travelled down to York from Bishop Auckland in County Durham, and who were there to mark Jo's imminent emigration to Adelaide in Australia.

“I came here for my hen party seven years ago,” she said. “We're having a good day. The weather’s perfect.”

Others enjoying the sunshine included Katherine Puckering and her friends Sue, Alison and Annabel from Wakefield, and Allison Davis, Rebecca Sherwin and Alex Charlesworth, who had come up from Sheffield.

Some visitors were amused at one point to see the odds on TV screens for the sixth race, with one horse called Brexitmeansbrexit on at 7-1, followed by I Was Only Joking at 10-1. Neither horse won, with Desert Diamond winning the race.

Outside the racecourse, police officers were on patrol as part of Operation Lancelot, aimed at preventing anti-social behaviour and keeping the community safe as racegoers left the course.

Some of the terraced streets of South Bank were cordoned off to prevent them being used by racegoers as they headed back into town.