Thousands attend York Racecourse season finale (From York Press)

Thousands attend York Racecourse season finale

3:50pm Sunday 14th October 2012 in News By Dan Bean, dan.bean@thepress.co.uk

THOUSANDS of people attended the last race meeting of 2012 at York Racecourse, including a team of postmen who hoped to pick up a £500,000 payday.

The October finale on Saturday saw David Farrow, Alan Wood, Dave Bell, Nick Bradley, Chris Pamplin, Steve Kelly, and Craig Maxwell watching the races alongside Channel 4 racing presenter Derek Thomson, as the final horses in their accumulator ran in The Bonus Race, but their selections were beaten by just half a length, meaning the team took home a share of £121,599.

David Farrow, 31, plans to use his share of the winnings to pay for his honeymoon and wedding, and said: “It was incredibly exciting and we were treated to a tremendous day out.

“It’s been amazing. I’ve hardly been able to sleep all week - we’ll all be back on our rounds next week.”

Steve Kelly said: “It was so close, but that’s racing. I definitely prefer it this way though, this is part of it.

“This week for us was more nervous because of the amounts. We can’t believe it, we’ve really enjoyed the day. I was sat at home this time last week with nothing. Now I’ve got £17,000. I’m going to have a holiday.”

James Brennan, marketing manager at York Racecourse, said about 20,000 people had attended the final race days, taking the total for the 2012 season to about 342,000, and planning had already begun for the first races of 2013.

He said: “What a fantastic final day we had. Only the third time this season we’ve operated under bright blue skies and it seemed the weather must have been 10 degrees warmer than it was on Friday, so people were sitting on the lawns and soaking up the final rays of the 2012 season.

“It’s been pretty remarkable considering the economic climate, so we’d like to say a big thank you to York and North Yorkshire who have backed us throughout the season, and hopefully will do in the future.”