IT was the perfect conditions for York Racecourse's showpiece Ebor Meeting. The going was good, but the weather was fabulous.

The crowds were out in force with many families arriving early to tuck into picnics.

Celebrities were few and far between in the County Stand and Grandstand with England cricket hero Freddie Flintoff failing to show, despite rumours to the contrary.

Emmerdale man-eater Kim Tai, aka Clare King, dressed in flame red, was one of the few to keep the celebrity flag flying.

Some of the biggest winners of the day - bookies aside - were those vendors selling ices and cold drinks.

The smell of sun cream and sweating men in suits wafted across the course as people sweltered in the humid conditions.

Geoffrey Wraithmell, 56, was like the cat who had got the cream - the Jersey ice-cream.

He said his ice-cream stand will have sold more than 5,000 cones by the end of the three-day festival.

"It's been fantastic because of the weather," he said. "There are a lot of people here who need cooling down."

Mike Spence, of Racecourse Merchandise, was doing a roaring trade selling sunglasses.

"We should have a very good day today," he said.

"If it's not sunny here, I may as well go home."

By contrast, the coffee stands were deserted except for those still nursing hangovers from the night before.

Over in the course enclosure, the scene looked more like Glastonbury than York Races as punters pitched tents to shield themselves from the sun.

Ebor veterans Geoffrey and Mary Speake, from Castleford, who were attending for the 47th time, watched the races from deckchairs by the winning post.

Geoffrey said: "We like this side of the course because it's a lot more relaxing and much cheaper.

"We will keep coming to Ebor as long as we are around."

James Brennan, marketing manager at York Racecourse said the event pulled in a crowd of about 26,000 people.

"The is probably at the lowest end of the scale for Ebor. The important thing is that everyone who has come has had a glorious day in the sunshine and there have been lots of smiling faces."

Updated: 11:14 Thursday, August 18, 2005