OVER 347,000 people attended the 17 days of flat racing at York racecourse in 2016.

They witnessed famous victories, unlikely defeats, and emotional goodbyes.

They arrived on sunny days and damp and generated one of the best atmospheres in the sporting north.

But how much of this season's Knavesmire story can you still remember?

Andrea Atzeni finished the summer as the top jockey with seven winners and five seconds – narrowly beating Frankie Dettori who stole the show at the opening meeting of the season, the Dante Festival in May.

Dettori rode five winners over the three days of the festival including Wings of Desire in the Betfred Dante.

The popular Italian delighted the crowds, as always, with his flying dismounts and Prince Andrew presented the trophies as he recorded back-to-back wins on Magical Memory in the The Duke of York Clipper Logistics Stakes and So Mi Dar in The Tattersalls Musidora Stakes.

There was joy for the Royal Family at York's Spring Meeting when one of the Queen's horses, Diploma, ridden by North Yorkshire-based jockey Daniel Tudhope, won a Class Three handicap.

The three-year-old returned to York in July to take Listed honours in the British Stallion Studs EBF Lyric Fillies' Stakes.

Nearly 27,000 people turned out for the Macmillan Charity raceday in June and raised over £450,000 for good causes.

Local trainer Ruth Carr turned back the clock and won the Best Western Hotels & Macmillan Ride of their Lives – a special race for 'amateur' riders – on board her own horse Dubai Dynamo.

Bizarrely, two punters were arrested for streaking down the track prior to that race.

While their antics may have been amusing to watch, they were naturally frowned upon by course officials. Both the man and the woman involved received police cautions.

The John Smith's Cup on July 9 drew a crowd in the region of 37,000 where the 18-1 outsider Educate sprang a major shock.

At seven years of age, the bay gelding became the oldest winner in the history of the £200,000 race and the first horse over five to win since My Swanee 47 years ago.

Owned by Sultan Ali and trained at Newmarket by Ismail Mohammed, it had been a case of 'fourth time lucky' for a horse that had also run the race in the previous three seasons.

Music fans turned out in massive numbers for July's 'Music Showcase Weekend' where Leeds-based indie rockers Kaiser Chiefs and Irish band The Corrs were the headline acts. Mercifully, any 'predictions of a riot' proved wide of the mark while The Corrs helped attract over 40,000 people, the biggest attendance of the season.

On the opening day of the Welcome to Yorkshire Ebor Festival in August, Andrea Atzeni rode Postponed, the highest rated racehorse in Europe, to victory in the Juddmonte International Stakes.

With total prize money of £963,000, this was the richest race in York's history.

Four weeks later, the Irish-bred colt started as favourite for the Prix de L'Arc De Triomphe but finished two and a half lengths behind race winner Found, who had finished second on his York appearance in the Darley Yorkshire Oaks.

The prize for 'wildest' celebrations at York this season belongs to the Irish members of the 'Here for the Craic Partnership'.

Jackets were thrown on the floor and fists punched frantically in the air after their horse, Heartbreak City, won Europe's richest handicap, the Betfred Ebor.

Teenage jockey Adam McNamara, who is based at Richard Fahey's stables in Malton, struggled to contain his delight too.

Boroughbridge-based jockey Paul Mulrennan rode Mecca's Angel to success in the Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes for a second consecutive season.

As well as giving Mulrennan a second Group One success, it was also the final time that Mecca's Angel would grace the winning enclosure. She was retired to stud two months later following defeat in the QIPCO British Champions Sprint Stake at Ascot.

The Ebor Festival attracted 84,105 people over four days including 28,000 on the Saturday despite a downturn in the weather.

In September, Paddington Bear made his first visit to the Knavesmire for The Press-sponsored Family Sunday.

Youngsters, and even a few excitable adults, clamoured for photographs with the TV and movie star who was dishing out marmalade sandwiches!

The curtain came down on the season with the October Finale where Intisaab won the Coral Sprint Trophy for David O'Meara.

He was in America at the time chasing more glory with Mondialiste, who had recently lifted the Arlington Million.

O'Meara is not the only local trainer who will look back on 2016 as a year to savour.

Malton-based Richard Fahey trained 198 flat winners and scooped over £3m in prize money. He finished third in the Trainers Championship behind only Aidan O'Brien and John Gosden.

Fahey trained Godolphin's Ribchester to success in both the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Group One Prix Jacques Le Marois in France. He also trained Queen Kindly to Group 2 success in the Lowther Stakes at York which is the biggest win to date for a daughter of Frankel.

Leyburn trainer Karl Burke made the headlines when Quiet Reflection, ridden by Dougie Costello and owned by North Yorkshire's Ontoawinner syndicate, won the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot.

The filly subsequently won the 32Red Sprint Cup at Haydock in September before finishing seventh in the Group 1 Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes in October. Big things will be expected again next season.

On a sadder note, York waved farewell to racing journalist Tom O'Ryan, who died in August following a short battle with cancer.

Former jockey Tom, 61, was often described as racing's 'Voice of the North'. He was a columnist for The Press and the Gazette & Herald and also a presenter on Racing UK.

Tom trained young jockeys, often using a mechanical horse, at his home and also at Jack Berry House in Malton. Before suffering a serious injury in 2013, he rode out for trainer Richard Fahey.

Latterly, Tom was also known to the race-going public as the voice of the Knavesmire; a supremely well-informed presenter who guided punters through the card before interviewing the winning connections after each race.

Hundreds of mourners attended his funeral service at the church of St Leonard and St Mary in Malton in September. RIP Tom.

Flat racing, meanwhile, will return to York on Wednesday, May 17. Only 138 days from now.

The season has been extended to 18 days next year by the introduction of an additional fixture, the 'Summer Saturday Raceday', which takes place on July 1.

Let's hope it brings you good luck and plenty of happy memories.