This Bank Holiday Monday would have been Zetland Gold Cup Day – one of our premier meetings of the year. Sadly, we are not able to stage the meeting this year but we are doing our best to bring back some happy memories from a year ago. So, here’s a reminder of the fun we had in 2019.

IT was a day to remember for one of the region’s most pioneering charities - the North East Autism Society.

The charity had a race named in its honour – the inaugural North East Autism Society Going4Gold Handicap Stakes – won by Wise Words, trained at Newmarket by James Tate and ridden by David Allan.

However, perhaps an even bigger thrill for the Society was the staging of its first mascot race at Redcar.

Anyone who was there that day will never forget the sight of H’Angus The Monkey, representing Hartlepool Football Club, blazing a trail down the final furlong, only to be pipped in a photo-finish by Vauxhall Griffin, sponsored by Bristol Street Motors.

H'Angus was convinced he'd won, throwing his arms in the air as he passed the post, only to be left in a disappointed heap when the result came through.

The centre-piece when it came to horseflesh was the historic Racing TV Zetland Gold Cup, which was won by Al Muffrih, ridden by Danny Tudhope and trained at Newmarket by William Haggas.

Tudhope was the man to follow at Redcar in 2019 – clocking up eight winners from 27 rides and ending up as our leading jockey.

Mind you, the son of the legendary Sea The Stars, starting at 6-4 favourite, only scraped home by a head from Richard Hannon’s Leroy Leroy.

A star emerged in the opening race when John Quinn’s debutante Liberty Beach took the racingtv.com Novice Auction Stakes in a driving finish under Jason Hart.

The Malton-trained filly went on to win another three races during her two-year-old career, as well as being a solid fourth to Mark Johnston’s Raffle Prize in the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot, and second in the Lowther Stakes at the York festival. She holds an entry in this year's Irish 1,000 Guineas at The Curragh.

Mr Coco Bean, trained at Thirsk by David Barron, was one of Redcar’s stars of the season in 2019, winning three times. The first of those victories came in the Come Racing Again Tomorrow Handicap Stakes under a powerful ride by Ben Curtis.

It was also a memorable day for four-year-old Archie Perkins when a horse named in his honour sparkled in the Market Cross Jewellers Handicap Stakes.

Trained at Malton by Nigel Tinkler and ridden by Rowan Scott, the winner was co-owned by little Archie’s grandad Stewart Perkins in partnership with John Raybould.

"They have the same personality – very quick and a little bit naughty," said Stewart, who runs a business letting holiday cottages at Whitby and Sandsend.

Fans of Wolverhampton Wanderers also struck gold when Magwadiri, owned by the Shropshire Wolves syndicate of football supporers, claimed the Congratulations Competition Winner Maria Ferguson Selling Stakes. The winner was trained at Kidderminster by Mark Loughane and ridden by Richard Kingscote.

Syndicate member John Lindsay, from Whitley Bay, said: "He's been slowly away from the stalls in his races, so he went for a barrier test at Lingfield. They recommended a Monty Roberts' rug and a hood in the stalls and it looks like it's worked perfectly."

Hollie Doyle and Lambourn trainer Archie Watson have a fine record at Redcar and In Trutina was another decisive winner for the combination in the Racing TV Profits Returned To Racing Median Auction Maiden Stakes.

The meeting come to a climax with a win in a driving finish for the Richard Fahey-trained Sosian, ridden by Paul Hanagan.