RIPON Racecourse has been placed among the UK's best racecourses after winning an award for its dining facilities.

The Boroughbridge Road track, also known as Yorkshire's Garden Racecourse, has received a national RCA Excellence Accolade for its Club Dining Room, becoming the third out of 59 Racecourses in the UK to do so.

The venue also takes its place for the first time among the top dozen racecourses in the country, according to the VisitEngland assessment scheme.

The national tourism board provides a rating that takes into account efficiency and friendliness of customer service as well as cleanliness of facilities, to enable racegoers to feel confident that a day at the races will be a quality experience.

Managing director at the racecourse, James Hutchinson, said: "We are delighted to be recognised in this way.

"It is a great tribute to all of our staff and racecourse partners who have worked very hard to achieve this result. It gives us another target to work towards during the forthcoming season."

The racecourse will host 17 days of racing, from next month until September, including a free entry evening meeting on May 6, its Ladies Day event on June 16 and an Alice in Wonderland-themed family event on August 16.