FOR one couple the opening day of the 2010 Dante Festival at York Racecourse was extra special – and it had nothing to do with the betting.

York Nestlé worker Dave Ellis used the big screen to propose to Joanne Bailey, his girlfriend of three years, in front of thousands of racegoers.

Dave, 49, said: “We picked the ring together about two months ago, but I was looking for an opportunity to make the proposal something special.

“I emailed the racecourse beforehand and asked if they could help out, and they’ve done a fantastic job arranging it.”

As news of the proposal spread, the couple were interviewed by Channel 4 Racing where they were asked to give a tip to the audience.

Dave said: “We picked winners on the first, second and fourth race, but not the third, so we would like to apologise to anyone who followed our lead.”