WHAT a dress rehearsal for Royal Ascot at York!

Racing returned to Knavesmire today as course chiefs geared up for the arrival of royalty and high-society by playing host to some of the country's best horses.

York Racecourse hosts the annual May meeting, hoping the Dante Stakes and a host of other top races will get punters in the mood for the arrival of the Queen in just a month's time.

Advance ticket sales for the meeting, which has been moved back a day this year - starting on Wednesday and finishing on Friday, have been strong and big crowds are expected to enjoy the spring sunshine.

Last year, the top three in the Dante Stakes finished in the same order in the Epsom Derby.

Course marketing manager James Brennan said he hoped the attraction of top horses would provide the perfect curtain raiser for Royal Ascot.

"This time of year there is always a sense of it being like Christmas at York Racecourse," he said. "We have spent the winter planning for it.

"The racegoers are coming back to York for the first time this year and will be catching up with old friends. There is a sense of excitement."

The team in charge of Royal Ascot at York will be present during the three-day May meeting to iron out any last minute hitches to the event plan.

City of York Council's traffic chiefs will be testing some of the equipment that will be used during Royal Ascot at York at the meeting.

Temporary traffic lights will be operating between 9.30am and 7pm on Wednesday at the junction of Knavesmire Road and The Mount.

Depending upon how well the tests go, the lights may also be used for short periods on Thursday and Friday.

Peter Evely, the council's head of network management, said: "We are using several new pieces of equipment as part of the traffic management for Royal Ascot at York and York's first race meeting of the season gives us a good opportunity to test that everything works as it should."

Updated: 10:32 Wednesday, May 11, 2005