Huntingdon Racecourse chiefs are celebrating their highest attendance levels for almost a decade.

A bumper 6,086 turnout for the popular Boxing Day fixture took the combined crowd number for 2015 over the 41,000 mark - the best figures in a calendar year since 2006.

Huntingdon staged 17 fixtures last year and general manager Sian Williams said: “It was a fantastic 2015 at Huntingdon Racecourse, capped by a wonderful final meeting on Boxing Day when visitors were delighted to welcome Britain’s leading jump jockey, Richard Johnson, who enjoyed two winners.

“We now look ahead to 2016 with optimism and a very busy January when we stage three fixtures.”

The first of 18 days of racing at Huntingdon in 2016 is scheduled for tomorrow (Wednesday) with the action getting underway at 1.10pm. Further fixtures follow on Friday, January 15 - which is Chatteris Fen Day - and Friday, January 29.

The track’s flagship race, the Grade 2 Peterborough Chase, which was won by Al Ferof for the sibling combination of trainer Dan and jockey Harry Skelton last year, will take place on Sunday, December 4.