CONNOR Beasley was tipped to become one of the best jockeys in the north after winning a third listed race in eight days at York.

Beasley, who still has six metal plates in his skull following a horror fall last season, rode Nameitwhatyoulike to victory in the listed Betfred Garrowby Stakes - the feature race on Press Family Sunday.

The 21-year-old, from Spennymoor, had also won listed races at Ripon on Alicante Dawn and Beverley on Alpha Delphini for Hambleton-based trainer Bryan Smart.

"Connor is riding out of his skin and it is fantastic that he has come back like he has done," said Smart. "But I think we all need to chill on that now. That's happened and we are looking forward. He is back!

"This kid is the next best thing," he added. "I think he could eventually be one of the best in the north".

On his own role in the hat-trick, Smart added: "I will wake up tomorrow and find it's all a dream!"

Jim Crowley, meanwhile, extended his lead at the top of the Jockeys Championship when Dark Defender showed real grit to win the Hanson Springs Stakes.

The bay colt looked to be running out of gas when overtaken by 11-4 favourite Flying Pursuit in the final furlong but Crowley managed to re-light his fire and edge home by half a length.

Crowley is now three ahead of Brazilian rival Silvester De Sousa who failed to score in any of his five rides on Sunday.

Former champion jockey Paul Hanagan notched a double when 11-2 shot Zainhom, trained by Sir Michael Stoute, won the opening race, the Judith Marshall Memorial EBF Stallions Maiden Stakes, and French horse Slunovrat finished four lengths clear in the two mile Fred Nowell Memorial Stakes.

Thomas Brown won the John Smith's Cup at York, two months ago, on Educate trained by Ismail Mohammed. The pair returned to the Knavesmire with Muraabit and bagged a shock win in the Barkers Garage Stakes, at odds of 25-1.

Families took advantage of reduced admission prices and flocked to the Knavesmire. Children's favourite Paddington was the special guest and even handed out marmalade sandwiches!

The rain fell briefly during the Garrowby Stakes but failed to put a dampener on York's only Sunday meeting of the season.

Kruger Park, trained at Malton by Richard Fahey, won the fourth race, the Coopers Marquees Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden Stakes.

Fahey was represented by assistant trainer Robin O'Ryan whose brother Tom, the former jockey and leading racing journalist, sadly passed away last month.

"We thought he would win last time out at Pontefract but he got a bit of stage fright," said O'Ryan. "He will be a nice horse for next year."

Antony Lewis-Crosby had spent the last seven years visiting, in alphabetical order, every racecourse in the UK and Ireland - raising funds for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust along the way.

His voyage ended at York where he was accompanied by his son David, a cystic fibrosis sufferer, who underwent a successful double lung transplant 12 years ago.

Named in his honour, the final race of the afternoon had the best finish too - Agent Gibbs, trained by John O'Shea, landing the spoils in a photo finish with Peterhouse ridden by Clifford Lee.