Fashion and racing combine at Pontefract’s annual Ladies’ Day on Wednesday (August 6); a seven-race programme which begins at 2-10 p.m. with a handicap contest for gentleman amateur riders, a race supported by Richard Kendall Estate Agent to celebrate the opening a new office in Pontefract. 

There’s a free buttonhole and glass of bubbly for the first 500 ladies into the Premier Enclosure, while bookings are being taken for the various Ladies Day packages. 

The feature race of the afternoon is The tiesplanet.com Ladies Love Guys In Ties Handicap Stakes, a contest over one mile and a half offering prize money of £15,000. Three-year-old sprinters take part in The Keith Hammill Memorial Handicap Stakes over six furlongs. Keith’s son, Richard, is the assistant manager and clerk of the course at Pontefract. Two-year-olds are catered for in The Friends Of Francis Hamilton Memorial Maiden Stakes, a race also supported by The European Breeders’ Fund, while The Jayne & Steve Robinson – Your Local Bookmaker Handicap Stakes is a race for three-year-olds over one mile. 

This season’s renewal of The Chaplins Club Handicap Stakes (five furlongs) remembers one of the north’s most remarkable sprinters, whose victory at this equivalent meeting in 1988 was incredibly his seventh win in 18 days and his second in less than 24 hours, having been successful at Ayr the previous evening! Trained at Stillington by the late David Chapman, Chaplins Club carried the colours of Peter Savill, former chairman of the then British Horseracing Board, and who provided a challenge trophy – depicting Charlie Chaplin – for the race.

‘Golden Oldies’ have their opportunity in The Matty Bown Veterans Handicap Stakes – a contest over one mile for six-year-olds and upwards. This race remembers a former employee of the racecourse, who worked at Pontefract before, during and after the Second World War. 

There’s a Best-Dressed Lady competition during the afternoon, with prizes to be won including a Spa break for two at Titanic Spa Huddersfield, along with dinner, bed & breakfast at Pennine Manor for the winner. A VIP trip to Napoleon’s Casino in Leeds and a champagne day out at a Pontefract race meeting are also up for grabs, while the winner of the Best Hat competition receives a Hugo Boss Watch and a perfume set courtesy of tiesplanet.com. Each finalist receives a selection of prizes. The Best-Dressed Lady competition is held in conjunction with Capital FM and JoJo from the station’s Breakfast Show will be checking out the latest fashions on display. 

Wednesday’s winner will also have automatic entry into the Grand Final of the ‘Best-Dressed Lady Racegoer in Yorkshire’ competition, held at Doncaster racecourse in October, which is the culmination of a special competition linking the individual ‘Ladies Days’ on the Yorkshire racecourses this year. She will then have the chance to win a luxury spa weekend for two at the Best Western Premier Mount Pleasant Hotel near Doncaster, along with a £500 fashion voucher from Yasmine of Bawtry and Epworth and a diamond pendant valued at £2,250 courtesy of lovevintagediamonds.com. 

The giant screen, situated opposite the main stands will assist racegoers in following all of the action.