FOUR thousand delighted racegoers were able to enjoy a visit to York Racecourse today for the first time in more than one and a half years.

They could finally have a drink, a laugh and a chat, and cheer on their chosen horse as it crossed the finishing line first, or commiserate each other as it came in last.

Not even intermittent showers could dampen their spirits in what was a milestone day for York in coming out of the lockdown.

The last meeting attended by racegoers was on October 12, 2019, with races taking place last year and earlier this year behind closed doors.

Amongst the fans enjoying a glass of champagne - and each other's company - in the Moet Pavilion were a group of women from York and Birmingham.

"It's absolutely amazing,"said one, Jodie Sandford, who said she had felt quite emotional earlier as she walked through the racecourse gates.

Another, Bec Ricks, said:"I just think it's a step forward in getting back to a normal life."

Another group of racegoers, Jessica Sutton, Jack Richmond, Chris Metcalfe and Hayley Metcalfe, who had come down from Masham to celebrate Jessica's 22nd birthday, said it was great to be able to socialise together again.

The event wasn't quite back to normal, with facial coverings required indoors, one-way systems in place and numbers restricted to 4,000 people with pre-booked tickets - just a tenth of what the course might expect at a busy summer meeting.

Because of the regulations, the picnic enclosure in the middle could not be opened either.

The majority of racegoers were annual badge holders, owners and people who had booked for the same day last year and then rolled over their ticket to this year after it had to be cancelled.

The racecourse originally planned a Covid pilot exercise for the Dante Festival earlier this month, which would have allowed up to 17,000 racegoers to attend but the scheme was abandoned.

Spokesman James Brennan said the next meeting on June 11 and 12, the Mcmillan charity fundraiser, would have the same size of crowd and similar restrictions to today's event, but if the final phase of the Government's roadmap out of lockdown went ahead on June 21, the big John Smith's meeting of July 9 and 10, and the Ebor meeting in August, would have unrestricted numbers.So would the Music Showcase events on July 23 and 24, featuring Rick Astley and McFly, he said.

He said today's event provided work for about 200 people, and the big summer meetings would mean employment for about 2,000, with the racecourse estimated to provide an £89 million annual boost to York's economy.