HOURS before he took to the stage, and while most of those coming to see him were still cosily sitting at home, Tom Jones’s voice could be heard echoing around Cartmel Racecourse.

As the early arrivals meandered among the food stalls, fairground rides and bookies’ stalls, sound engineers busied themselves testing the equipment ready for last night’s concert.

The sounds of Mama Told Me Not To Come , Sex Bomb and You Can Leave Your Hat On accompanied the waft of smoke in the air from barbecues and the nervous glances upwards towards leaden skies which lurked menacingly over the south Lakes track throughout the day, broken intermittently by blasts of glorious sunshine.

The biggest crowd at the course for more than 10 years headed through the gates throughout the day – those their mainly for the racing, those just for the great Welsh entertainer, and those ready to enjoy both on a day of great entertainment.

There were those who came in and headed straight for their spots in front of the giant main stage, dominating the enclosure, laying down their picnic blankets and setting up stall for the day before racing even started.

When the running did get going, there was much interest in the runners of local trainer James Moffatt, who went mob-handed in two races – with five of his mounts going for the big prize in the £20,000 Ron Wadey Now 70 Years Old Handicap Hurdle.

It’s not unusual for Mr Moffatt to taste success on the green, green grass of home at Cartmel, but it was favourite Its Panorama burning down the house to win the opening Jennings Cumberland Ale Maiden Hurdle, with Moffatt’s Strong Resemblance second.

By that point, many pints of the aforementioned tipple had been consumed, along with numerous glasses of Pimms and hundreds of cones of ice-cream as the family atmosphere grew.

And they did not have to wait long for one of Mr Moffatt’s horses to come in, as Boruma followed up a win here last month with another success to have the crowd on their feet cheering home the 7/4 favourite who had put a little extra money in their pockets.

A third favourite in quick succession soon followed, as Verona Opera triumphed in the Brown Horse at Winster Beginners’ Chase on what was a good afternoon for punters, who would enjoy themselves well into the evening with the live music which followed the racing.