IT was a special day for the Easterby family and Stillington trainer Ruth Carr today at York's charity day.

Emily Easterby, 20, rode her father Tim's horse Snoano to victory in the Queen Mother's Cup and, in the process, won her own weight in champagne.

Carr, meanwhile, returned to the racetrack for the first time since her amateur days and won the charity race on Dubai Dynamo.

Over 27,000 attended the final day of the June meeting and donations of around £450,000 took the total raised by this event since 1971 to over £7 million.

The Easterbys, from Great Habton, are one of the best known racing families in Yorkshire.

Significantly, Emily says she has no desire to become a full-time jockey but will, no doubt, treasure the memory of winning on the Knavesmire.

"It is my first winner and an amazing feeling but I still don't plan to turn professional," she said. "I promised to share the champagne with the lads if I won, and we will all be having a party now."

A fruit and vegetable supplier from Bradford was in dreamland after his horse, Mr Lupton, won the feature race of the meeting the 888Sport Charity Sprint.

Noel Kershaw had stumbled into racehorse ownership two years ago by winning a year's charge of the youngster in a charity auction.

The three year old, trained by Richard Fahey at Malton, has now won over £300,000 in prize money including Saturday's prize of £62,250.

Fahey was not in attendance yesterday but his stable enjoyed another victory courtesy of Paul Hanagan and Marie of Lyon in the Reg Griffin Appreciation EBF Stallions Maiden Stakes.

Sheriff Hutton based trainer Mark Walford celebrated his fourth consecutive win when Woody Bay took the Ice Co Supporting MacMillan Stakes Handicap.

There was no repeat of last year's success in the Best Western Hotels Ganton Stakes for Top Notch Tonto. The popular chestnut gelding from the Malton yard of Brian Ellison finished last of 18 as top honours went to 11-4 favourite Mutakayyef,

Earlier, jockey Clifford Lee rode Felix Leiter to victory in the 2.25pm BetStars.uk Home of Spin & Bet Stakes.

Ironically, Lee had been disciplined only the week before by Middleham-based trainer Karl Burke for poor time keeping.

Tom Eaves rode Pomme De Terre to victory in the final race under rules, the Charles Henry Memorial Stakes at 5.20pm, with Intisaab second.

Carr won the charity race, the Best Western Hotels & MacMillan Ride of the their Lives, to close proceedings.