NORTH Yorkshire trainers made a great start to the season at York races.

Middleham-based Mark Johnston's Secret History won the Tattersalls Musidora Stakes in great style.

Pushed out to the front early on by Joe Fanning on the soft ground, Secret History stormed home at 14-1 to the delight of Johnston's wife, Deidre, who is overseeing operations at home while her husband is in Hong Kong preparing stable star Attraction for Saturday's Champions Mile at Sha Tin.

Another front-running performance paid dividends for Amber Glory Kevin Ryan, who trains at Hambleton near Sutton Bank, in the Grays Wharf Novice Stakes.

In-form Ryan, who has had 29 winners this season, is looking at running Amber Glory at Royal Ascot on Knavesmire again next month.

He said: "The Queen Mary back here is a possibility but I wouldn't get too excited and she may be better off going for a Listed race abroad."

The campaign on Knavesmire kicked off in bright sunshine with Thirsk handler David Barron seeing his Zero Tolerance also romp home from pillar to post under the guidance of Jamie Spencer in the Newron Investment Management Stakes.

"I think everything suited this horse today. They left him alone in front and he had his ground, and everything fell into place for him," said Barron.

Spencer later scored on The Kiddykid who took the scalps of some of the top sprinters around to give his trainer, Abergavenny-based David Evans, his biggest career success.

The field for the Duke Of York Hearthstead Homes Stakes included proven Group One performers like the Tim Easterby duo Somnus and Fayr Jag, but they had no answer to the 14-1 shot's finishing kick.

Attraction and 2000 Guineas hero Footstepsinthesand headline a 71-strong entry for the Darley July Cup at Newmarket.

The six-furlong event would represent a step back in trip for both horses as they have been running over a mile.

Today's going on Knavesmire was soft despite drying conditions.

Updated: 11:14 Thursday, May 12, 2005