David O’Meara, who trains at Upper Helmsley, took the feature race of the day, the Sky Bet Go Racing In Yorkshire Summer Festival Handicap, when Azano made all under top weight with Jason Watson steering.

The six-year-old gelding had been below form since winning the listed Guisborough Stakes at Redcar last October, but he bounced back in tenacious style to fend off the challenge of favourite Encourageable.

Watson said: “He’s a free-running horse and the instruction was to let him go from the front and bowl along. He’s a decent horse with bundles of ability but he’s not easy to train and David’s done a great job with him. Leave him alone and let him do his own thing seems to be the answer.”

Yorkshire got off to a winning start when Tim Easterby’s debutante Vince Le Prince, ridden by Duran Fentiman in the colours of Reality Partnerships, landed the opening Join Racing TV Now EBF Restricted Novice Stakes (Div 1).

Despite starting at 33-1, Easterby expected the son of Iffraaj to put up a bold show: “We fancied him and thought he’d run very well. I think he’s a good horse,” said the Malton handler.

Newmarket struck back in Division 2 when Taritino took the race by the scruff of the neck for trainer Amy Murphy and jockey Stefano Cherchi. There was also a highly promising run by runner-up Pol Roger, having his debut for Michael Dods.

Yorkshire was back on the scoreboard when La Feile, trained at Malton by Richard Fahey and ridden by Oisin Orr, led close home in the Sky Bet Extra Places Every Day. Well done to owners Ebor Racing Club.

Fahey said: “It’s nice to see her win again because I genuinely thought the handicapper overreacted to her winning first time out at Beverley a year ago and she’s paid the penalty since then.”

There was an emotional victory for Yorkshire trainer Harriet Bethell as Bearwith stayed on strongly in the hands of Cam Hardie to win the Redcar Cricket Club Handicap.

Harriet, who trains at Arnold, near Beverley, returned to training last year after suffering life-threatening injuries in a freak fall on the gallops in 2019.

Her mother Liddy said: “Training the horses is the thing that keeps her going. She’s always been a good judge and when she looked at the form, she thought the horse would win.”

The flow of Yorkshire winners was interrupted by Simulation Theory, trained at Newmarket by George Scott, outstaying Photograph under Benoit de la Sayette to win a two-horse contest for the Watch Racing TV In Stunning HD Claiming Stakes.

But the day ended in fitting fashion for Yorkshire when Red Force One – trained in North Yorkshire by Phil Kirby and owned by The Yorkshire Puddings syndicate – stayed on stoutly to win the Go Racing In Yorkshire Future Stars Apprentice Handicap.

Phil’s dad, Geoff, who heads the syndicate, said: “It was a great performance on ground that was bang in his favour. He probably needs two miles – and the quicker the ground the better.”

The trainer was full of praise for jockey Ryan Sexton who extended his lead in the Go Racing In Yorkshire Future Stars Apprentice Series.

“I’ve used him ever since he came over from Ireland and he’s as good as there is in the apprentice ranks. He’s getting better all the time and he’ll make it because he’s got the right brain and attitude,” he said.

After two days of the summer festival, Tim Easterby leads the training ranks with three winners, followed by Richard Fahey and Phil Kirby on two. Duran Fentiman is out in front in the race for the jockeys’ title with four wins so far.