RYEDALE trainer Richard Fahey has hailed another "magnificent" year after his Musley Bank stables ended 2017 with 200 Flat racing winners.

Fahey's yard brought up the double century on New Year's Eve when Furzig won the 32Red Casino Novice Median Auction Stakes at Lingfield Park, his penultimate runner of the season.

After scoring a record 235 winners in the 2015 campaign, he just fell short of the double century in 2016 with 198 successes.

Fahey tweeted: “Two hundred winners for the year – Furzig wins at Lingfield under Tony Hamilton. Well done to owners Mr & Mrs Ashton. Well done to Team Musley Bank – a magnificent achievement. Happy New Year!”

Winning rider Hamilton, a key member of the Fahey team, said: “We got very close last year, and had 235 winners the year before, but to get to 200 is a great achievement for the yard – that’s a lot of winners.”

The yard amassed well over £2.25million in prize money in 2017, with Ribchester the obvious stable star with his three Group 1 wins in the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury in May, the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot in June and the Qatar Prix de Moulin Longchamp at Chantill in September.

Meanwhile, Fahey quickly got on the way towards a 2018 double hundred thanks to success on New Year’s Day for Gabrial’s Star at Southwell, also ridden by Hamilton.

l THE Flat Ride of the Year award at horseracing's "Oscars" - the Stobart Lesters - went to apprentice Callum Rodriguez for his ride on Nakeeta when winning the Betfred Ebor Handicap at York, the most valuable handicap in Europe.

Rodriguez, 20, based at Michael Dods' Piercebridge stable, got the six-year-old up in the closing strides to beat Flymetothestars, the favourite, by a head, in a memorable race.

* THE Flat Ride of the Year award at horseracing's "Oscars" - the Stobart Lesters - went to apprentice Callum Rodriguez for his ride on Nakeeta when winning the Betfred Ebor Handicap at York, the most valuable handicap in Europe.

Rodriguez, 20, based at Michael Dods' Piercebridge stable, got the six-year-old up in the closing strides to beat Flymetothestars, the favourite, by a head, in a memorable race.