Beverley Racecourse celebrated a “fantastic result” after the track was crowned a winner at the Racecourse Association Showcase & Awards 2016.

The East Yorkshire venue fended off strong opposition from Ascot, Kempton Park, Ripon and York to win the #TopSpot category at the RCA’s annual awards ceremony at Doncaster Racecourse on Thursday (November 17).

Beverley Racecourse impressed an independent judging panel for the #TopSpot award, which rewarded “creative racecourse schemes to engage their guests”, with their innovative staging of the Donkey Derby, held at the Very British Raceday meeting on May 28.

The Donkey Derby has become an internet sensation, having been viewed over two million times on Facebook, with over 5.7m people reached worldwide.

Beverley Racecourse chief executive Sally Iggulden said: “We are naturally thrilled to have received the Showcase award against some wonderfully innovative racecourses.

“This is a really fantastic result for our small team, especially as the other nominations were so impressive.

“The Donkey Derby was a fun and inventive way to kickstart our Very British Raceday meeting and was definitely one of the highlights on the Westwood last season.

“The response on social media frankly caught us all by surprise, but it was lovely to see so many visitors, from all corners of the globe, pay a visit to our Facebook page.

“Hopefully next year’s Donkey Derby on Saturday, June 10, will be just as popular – and just as much fun.”

Beverley Racecourse was also nominated for the ‘All About The Horse’ award, which was won by Yorkshire neighbours Pontefract, for their attempts to bring together horseracing and cycling in ‘Racing Le Tour’ on April 29

The #TopSpot triumph was Beverley Racecourse’s fourth victory at the RCA Showcase & Awards, which is now in its seventh year and celebrates excellence and innovation amongst British racecourses in improving the customer experience