SEDGEFIELD racecourse hosted a special lunch for Grand National-winning trainer Denys Smith and his family at last Sunday's meeting.

Smith continues to be the leading trainer at the County Durham course with 145 wins, followed by Brian Ellison with 86 wins and Donald McCain and Sue Smith with 79 each.

To celebrate his unbeaten track record, he was joined at the lunch by friends, special guests and Sedgefield’s supportive and loyal trainers.

Stockton-born racing broadcaster Derek Thompson hosted the event and was joined by guest speakers, including Chris Grant, Bob Champion and Harvey Smith, who reminisced about how the legendary trainer became so successful.

A race named in Smith's honour was followed by a presentation in the winners' enclosure. He was welcomed by overwhelming support from the crowd, jockeys, family and friends, who all joined the racecourse staff in presenting him with a special memento.

Jill Williamson, Sedgefield's executive director, said: “It was a fantastic reunion for many of the guests who attended the lunch and the discussion proved to be extremely interesting, but also very entertaining. Denys continues to be a huge supporter at Sedgefield, attending almost every fixture, so we wanted to do something special for him."

This year sees the beginning of a new competition in which Sedgefield’s loyal trainers are challenged to Beat the Best, with the benchmark set by Denys Smith.

Trainers’ wins will be monitored and the most successful will win a private suite for 20 guests, along with complimentary drinks, at a Sedgefield race meeting in 2017.