THE organisers of Friday’s Middleham Open Day are confident the event will prove as popular as ever despite the introduction of Good Friday racing at Lingfield and Musselburgh.

Fifteen stables, including those of Mark Johnston, Karl Burke and Ann Duffield, will welcome visitors, while there will also be a visit from the Household Cavalry and colouring and photography competitions.

There is a free bus service providing transport around the stable sites, while a giant screen in Middleham’s Market Square will provide live coverage of the afternoon’s racing action.

James Bethell, chairman of the Middleham Trainers’ Association, said: “The traditional date for the Stables Open Day had been threatened with the introduction of Good Friday racing this year.

"However, with the support of Betfair and the Arena Racing Company, who are arranging the live screening of racing from Lingfield and Musselburgh, we are preparing for one of the most enjoyable Open Days of recent years.”

Tickets cost £10 per adult, and include a souvenir brochure and a chance to win a prize in the programme draw. Admission for accompanied children under 12 is free.

The yards are open to the public from 9.30am to either 1pm or 2pm, depending on location.Free parking is available in Middleham or nearby Leyburn.

For more details, visit www.middlehamstablesopenday.co.uk or call 01969 624411.

Central stables (9.30am-1pm): Chris Fairhurst, Micky Hammond, Ben Haslam, Mark Johnston, Phil Kirby, George Moore and Jason Ward.

Outlying stables (9.30am-2pm): James Bethell, Karl Burke (closing at 1pm), Andy Crook, Patrick Holmes, Ann and George Duffield (until 4.30pm), Jedd O’Keeffe, John Weymes and Noel Wilson.

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REDCAR RACECOURSE have lined up some special Easter entertainment as part of their Bank Holiday meeting on April 21.

The Easter bunny, Alice in Wonderland and the Mad Hatter will all be in attendance, and there will also be bouncy castles, an Easter treasure hunt, an Easter bonnet parade, face painting and stilt walking. Early arrivals receive a free mini-Easter egg.

The traditional Easter Monday fixture also marks half a century since the racecourse’s grandstand, the Petch Stand, was opened.

It was officially opened by the father of the current racecourse chairman, Lord Zetland, on Easter Monday 1964 and is named after Major Leslie Petch, who was racecourse manager from the end of the Second World War for 26 years until 1971.

Gates open on Easter Monday at 12 noon. Admission starts at just £5 for adults, and the first race is at 2.10pm with the last race getting under way at 5.40pm.