Dressing up

LONG gone are the days when horseracing was associated with men in flat caps supping even flatter beer. Today, the headgear is likely to be much more elaborate and the drink of choice champagne or Pimms.

This is all because a record number of women are flocking to the races.

Across the nine White Rose tracks of Yorkshire, the influx of women racegoers has helped overall attendance figures break the million barrier for the past three years in a row. Almost four in ten racing regulars are female.

Last year, York women had the chance to take part in racing history when the city hosted Royal Ascot. Not only could they watch some of the best horseracing in the world over the festival, they also had a chance to dress up to the nines and prove there is no north-south divide in the style stakes.

Dressing up is part of the appeal of going horseracing for thousands of female fans, which is why racecourses run Ladies Day competitions, with a prize for the best-dressed woman at the meeting.

Each Yorkshire course hosts its own Ladies Day. The first one will take place at Catterick on May 9, with nine more running through the flat-turf season until the St Leger in September, which has moved from Doncaster to York for 2006.

However, a new competition is being staged this year to find the Best Dressed Lady Racegoer in Yorkshire. Each Ladies Day winner from the White Rose season will be invited to compete for the prestigious title at a grand final on St Leger day in York on Saturday, September 9.

The overall winner will walk away with a fabulous prize: a luxury weekend of pampering for two at Aldwark Manor Hotel, near York.

Julian Cotton, who promotes horseracing in Yorkshire, hopes the competition will encourage even more women to come racing.

He says: "The more women we get, the better the atmosphere. You don't just want gangs of lads, otherwise it turns into a bit of a football crowd. It enhances the spectacle and the occasion when you have a lot of women there in their finery."

He says women made up about 35 per cent of the racing crowd, but could account for up to 40 to 45 per cent of the audience on Ladies Days. Women were attracted to horseracing for different reasons to men.

"Women like the social side; they like to have a day out. A lot of men who go racing are more into gambling. One of the great things about racing is that the actual action only lasts a minute or two, then you've got half an hour or so to chat to friends, get a drink, a bite to eat or wander about."

Rebecca Elcock, of York, is passionate about going racing. She first got the bug as a teenager when her father, Cecil, took her to meetings. Later, she enjoyed dressing up and having a day out with her girlfriends. She has been a Ladies Day finalist three times, winning the title in 2001 at the Ebor meeting in York, when she wore a plunging black and white La Perla dress with an oversized black hat covered in feathers.

"I used to go to Wetherby with my dad, which was more of a woolly scarf and coat day," says Rebecca. "It was more serious and we would spend time looking at the horses. Now I go with my girlfriends for more of the social side. If I bet, I bet small. I hate losing money - I'd rather spend it on my hat."

For Rebecca, the key to a head-turning Ladies Day outfit lies in the hat.

"It's got to be something different, something a little bit outrageous," she says. But she admits to last-minute nerves when wearing some of her choices. "The year I won at York, I was very nervous. I thought the hat looked like a crow!"

For Royal Ascot at York last year, she wore a bright orange creation: and again caused a stir, particularly among the racecourse paparazzi.

Although it is flattering to be stopped and photographed, or singled out for the Ladies Day competition, there are drawbacks to drawing so much attention to yourself. "I love dressing up, but I really don't like that side of it, the fuss of it all. It can be awkward for friends too, they can feel a bit left out," says Rebecca.

For anyone wishing to throw their hat into the ring, so to speak, and try to win the coveted title of Best Dressed Racegoer in Yorkshire, Rebecca has this advice: "Always pick your hat first, then your dress. Most people do it the other way round. But the hat is the main focus."

The final of the Best Dressed Lady Racegoer in Yorkshire will take place on Saturday September 9, at Ladbrokes St Leger Day in York.

You can book tickets for any of the above events by phoning 08700 721724, and if you use the code 'Ladies' you will receive a £2 drinks voucher.

Updated: 09:48 Tuesday, May 02, 2006