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Racing and fashion combine in the annual Pontefract Ladies Day on Wednesday 3rd August and there’s never been a better excuse to buy a new outfit! Courtesy of RIU Hotels and Resorts, Pontefract Racecourse is offering an all inclusive, week long holiday for 2 to the fabulous Le Morne resort in Mauritius. The prize includes return flights from Manchester. With such a fantastic offering, the competition is bound to be fiercely contested!
The Heart Angels will be on the lookout for the Best Dressed Ladies from the minute that the gates open at 12noon and they will allocate numbered cards to 100 lucky finalists before the judging gets under way at 1pm. This year, the judging panel will consist of Emma from the Heart Breakfast Show along with the National Business Manager for RIU, Maria Battersby.
The Racecourse is urging anyone wishing to be considered for the Best Dressed Lady competition to please make sure that they arrive early on the day so that they do not miss out. There’s an added incentive to arrive early as the first 500 ladies through the Premier Enclosure will get a free glass of bubbly and a buttonhole.
There’s also some fantastic action on the track too. The feature race is the £15,000 tiesplanet.com – Ladies Love Guys In Ties Handicap. Aside from being one of the best named races on the racing calendar, it’s also a high class handicap for 3 year olds. Last year, the finish was fought out by Michael Dods’ highly regarded Hernandoshideaway, and Penhill, who has since been snapped up by the unstoppable Willie Mullins for a National Hunt campaign.
Local bookmakers Jayne and Steve Robinson sponsor the supporting 1 mile handicap and they’ll be hoping for a repeat of 2015 when outside Guaracha scored something of a shock victory for the Clive Brittain team.
There’s a real variety of races on the card as the EBF and the Friends of Francis Hamilton team up to sponsor the £8,000 6f Maiden for 2 year olds. Tim Easterby’s Still On Top took the race last year and went on to be placed in the big two year old trophy race at Redcar. With the ‘Plus 10’ promotion making this race worth £18,000, there’s bound to be a useful juvenile or two lurking amongst the runners.
Motorpoint have recently opened a new branch off junction 32 and they sponsor the opening race on the card for Gentleman Amateur Riders to advertise their new showroom. The race kicks off Ladies Day and the winner is bound to be greeted to a huge cheer!
With the school holidays now in full swing, there is plenty going on for the kids too with the special Mad Hatters Tea Party. It’s the 151st anniversary of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland this year and to celebrate, the Racecourse will be hosting a giant street party in the Silver Enclosure. Mums and Dads looking for things to do can book their children in to the party for just £10. With a range of activities and garden games run by a qualified crèche, you can be safe in the knowledge that the little ones will be entertained, well fed and well looked after! Full details can be found on the Racecourse website at www.pontefract-races.co.uk .
With the Park Suite Restaurant, Marquee and Hospitality Boxes already fully booked on Ladies Day, racegoers are encouraged to book their tickets and badges early to avoid disappointment. With a small number of ‘Premier Packages’ still available, there’s still the chance to upgrade your Ladies Day out! To book, or to view full details of the day, please visit the course website (www.pontefract-races.co.uk ) or give the office a call on 01977 781307. Racing gets underway at 2.10pm and the gates open at 12noon!