North Yorkshire trainer Ann Duffield reflects on Royal Ascot, looks ahead to a big day for the stable star, and welcomes moves to attract youngsters into a career in racing.

ROYAL Ascot provided racing fans with the usual display of top class racing, Royal pomp and ceremony at its very best, and high fashion at its most glamorous - British and otherwise.
Even if you’re not a racing fan, there is so much to admire about the most prestigious and world-famous race meeting. Official figures tell us that last week's final coverage from Channel 4 Racing, which lost the contract earlier this year, was watched by 2.86 million people with thirty hours of dedicated viewing. Previously, the BBC attracted 6.9 million viewers so we can only hope the new team taking over can boost the current figures as racing continues to grow in popularity.
It is the only race meeting where male trainers happily don their penguin outfits, even if the top hat constantly falls down over their eyes while their wives, and any lady trainers lucky enough to have horses good enough to run at Royal Ascot, wish we didn't have to wear smart outfits with the obligatory killer heels.
Leading trainer of the meeting was Aidan O’Brien with seven winners, equalling Sir Henry Cecil’s post war record at the Royal meeting. While Aidan might have dominated the winner’s enclosure, the North of England didn't miss out thanks to the highly talented “Quiet Reflection” adding the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup to her already impressive tally.
Richard Fahey was another to fly the “Northern trainers" flag, winning the Jersey Stakes for Godolphin with “Ribchester”.
Godolphin had a good week with three winners, making 2016 one of their best Royal Ascots for some time. Their policy of keeping the horses they purchase with the trainers who did so well with them in the first place is paying dividends after years moving these horses to their own headquarters where they often became disappointing.
The standout horse of the meeting was undoubtedly the American bred juvenile “Lady Aurelia” who’s trainer Wesley Ward was recording his third win in the race after “Jealous Again” (2009) and “Acapulco” (2015).
The two-year-old had the physical strength of an older horse and obliterated a high class field with a winning margin of seven lengths.

ROYAL Ascot week is generally a good week for us away from the Royal meeting and we certainly had lots of runners. Sadly, like the week before, we had to endure another run of placed horses going agonisingly close in their races.
The week had held plenty of initial promise but ended up disappointing when all three of our Royal Ascot entries didn't run thanks to a mixture of small niggling problems and unusually soft ground, so when Hilary J posted yet another second on Saturday – our 17th for the season – we thought the drought might never end.
Luckily, Searanger scored in the last at Redcar for syndicate “ICM racing” much to the delight of his owners who turned out in force.
Our top rated horse George Dryden was one of those who had to be pulled out of Royal Ascot – he'd been due to run in the Wokingham – but he'll be heading to Newcastle on Saturday for the Group 3 Chipchase Stakes. He's never contested group company before so we are aiming at the stars but he's he's rated 103 and he's put in high class performances, so he's entitled to take his chance.
George Dryden is owned by Bishop Auckland-based Steve Bradley, he's in good form, so fingers crossed that he runs well.

OFF the track, horse-racing is staging the inaugural “Stable Staff Week" and the National Trainers' Federation has come up with some interesting ideas, including asking trainers to post a short video thanking staff for all their efforts.
The end result will be a video piece showing all of us who participate, publicly thanking our incredible staff for the job they do, day in day out. Without their enthusiasm, commitment and hard work, trainers and owners would not be able to put the show on the road.
It is a fun and innovative way of both thanking them, and promoting the job they do to a wider audience, and is a small part of the drive to attract more people of all ages and abilities to work in horse racing.
At Sun Hill, Constable Burton, in beautiful Wensleydale, we have two girls from Richmond school joining us for a fortnight's work experience.
Horse racing has so much to offer as a career choice and, in the past, racing's professionals have been slow to promote the wide ranging opportunities our sport has to offer.
New initiatives are now being put in place to rebalance this and, as part of the process, trainers are liaising with local schools and career advice centres, offering opportunities.