Reining beauties...

From the Yorkshire Evening Press, first published Friday 10th Mar 2006.

THE odds against finding a beauty queen mingling with horses and trainers at a racing stable may seem rather long, but what about the chances of two of them turning up at once?

That was the happy prospect facing top North Yorkshire trainer Mick Easterby yesterday, when both Miss England, Hammasa Kohistani, and Miss York, Georgia Horsley, dropped in at his Sheriff Hutton base to pick up some racing tips.

Nineteen-year-old Hammasa, was introduced to racehorse Gentleman's Deal, which is second favourite to win this year's Lincoln. She became the first Muslim Miss England in September last year, after coming to this country with her family from Afghanistan.

The teenager, who speaks six languages, said: "I've been invited to Dubai to see the World Cup and, to be honest, I don't know anything about horse racing.

"I'm here to learn about odds and how to study the form so that I can say the right things and don't feel silly when I meet all the horse owners." Hammasa, of Uxbridge, West London, was invited to Dubai by property developer Nakheel, responsible for creating the luxury World Islands on the country's coastline.

She met Georgia for an evening out in York before yesterday's visit to the stables. She said: "It's my first visit to York and I think it's beautiful."