COULD the Friday crowd top the stakes during the Royal Procession? STEVE CARROLL decides they could.

IT is becoming something of a home from home.

The band struck up a familiar march, the path of the Ascot Landaus was starting to get a little worn.

Her Majesty has made York Racecourse a new base --and the sizeable Knavesmire crowds are getting a taste for the sight of regular Royalty.

It was reciprocated. The Royal party seemed eager to meet their public.

Friday's procession hit the track almost a full five minutes earlier than advertised, and there were smiling faces in all the carriages.

Friday brought a different mood. From the hustle of Gold Cup Day, the need to be seen, and the weird, wild and wonderful outfits, Royal Ascot's fourth day was infinitely more relaxed.

That did not mean the punters weren't as keen as their Gold Cup predecessors to show their appreciation.

So minding your Ps and Qs was still of paramount importance.

"Stop that chewing!" said one elderly lady, chastising a slack-jawed young man posing for a photograph on the rails with his mouth open.

And as the horse-drawn carriages took to York's straight course, the massing crowd rose to the challenge of their Ladies Day rivals of 24 hours earlier, cheering louder and more vociferously than anything heard all week.

It echoed through the Grandstand, round the Yorkshire Course and through the Rails Enclosure - even though many saw little more than a blur of colour and a regal wave.

The first carriage again held The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. This time Her Majesty chose a more daring combination.

An electric blue hat and matching jacket was defined by its decorative neck and cuffs - a blend of green. The black gloves, the week's only constant, remained.

If the Princess Royal had looked a little nervous on Thursday, on Friday she had caught the mood of the crowd.

A smiling Princess Anne was attired in an aqua-blue hat and matching jacket, with white top. They were outfits which had clearly pleased the punters.

"That's one bet I've won today already," one happy racegoer declared while standing by the bar. "I got 4-1 that she would be in blue".

It may not have had the draw of Ladies Day, but you got a sense that Her Majesty was just as pleased to see this happy crowd. She was not alone.

Updated: 12:49 Saturday, June 18, 2005