NORTH Yorkshire trainers brought the curtain down on Royal Ascot at York with a winning double on Saturday.

Sutton Bank-based Bryan Smart and Middleham's Mark Johnston triumphed in the opening two races on the final day of the royal meeting which pulled in 48,539 spectators on a sweltering afternoon on Knavesmire.

Sheriff Hutton jockey Kevin Darley steered Titus Alone to victory in the opener, the six furlong Windsor Castle Stakes.

Darley took the lead two furlongs from home and held off a late challenge from Strike Up The Band, who finished runner-up in the Norfolk Stakes on Thursday and had to settle for the same position behind Titus Alone.

Tabaret, trained by Richard Whitaker at Scarcroft, made it a 1-2-3 for Yorkshire.

Smart, master of the Hambleton House stables said: "He is very fast, the fastest horse I've ever had, and it was because of his speed that we kept him a bit away from the others in the early stages. If the others had been too close to him he would have been tempted to take them on and do too much too soon."

David Nicholls', who trains only a few miles away from Smart, at Sessay, near Thirsk, said: "It is disappointing to be beaten again but it is a 1-2-3 for Yorkshire-trained horses. He (Strike Up The Band) would not have got £7,000 sat at home in his box so it was worth coming back."

Darley had ridden Melrose Avenue to victory for Mark Johnston the previous day and the Middleham handler saw 10-1 shot Bandari spring a surprise in the Hardwicke Stakes under Willie Supple in Saturday's second race as favourite Doyen flopped.

Supple had to battle all the way before edging home Maraahel by half a length.

The feature race, The Golden Jubilee Stakes, went to Hong Kong raider Cape Of Good Hope, who had finished fourth in the King's Stand Stakes on Tuesday.

The seven-year-old's victory confirmed the international flavour of the meeting, following plenty of French successes earlier in the week.

Winning jockey Mick Kinane got the ride after his original mount, Somunus, was pulled out by Great Habton trainer Tim Easterby, because of the fast ground.

Philip Robinson he rode favourite Iffraaj to victory in the Wokingham Stakes - a result which cost bookies as estimated £1 million - before Kinane clinched the jockey of the meeting award by seeing Notable Guest home in the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes for Sir Michael Stoute.

It was Kinane's sixth winner of the meeting, taking him to 37 in total, level with Frankie Dettori, who missed the meeting because of a ban.

Notable Guest was pushed hard by Crow Wood (6-1), trained by John Quinn at Malton, who came as close as anyone to providing a winner from Ryedale.

The final - and longest - race of the meeting, The Queen Alexandra Stakes over two miles and six furlongs saw Cruzspeil outstay the rest in style.

Times on Saturday were lighting fast - a sure indicator to the quality of the fields and the track.

Updated: 10:51 Monday, June 20, 2005