The annual ‘Ladies Day’ at Thirsk on Saturday (September 7) promises to be stylish and glamorous with an array of fashion prizes to be won in the afternoon’s competitions to find the ‘Best-Dressed Lady’ and ‘Best-Dressed Gentleman’ along with the wearer of the ‘Best Hat’. The seven-race programme – the penultimate meeting of the season at Thirsk – is scheduled to begin at 2-30 p.m.

 The most valuable race of the afternoon is The Personal Touches Handicap Stakes, a contest for three-year-olds over one mile offering prize money of £15,000, while The Hambleton Cup, a competitive handicap contest over one mile and a half is one of the oldest races in Britain. The origins of the race can be traced back to 1714, when racing took place at the nearby Hambleton racecourse, the forerunner of Thirsk racecourse. Other highlights include The Barkers Of Northallerton Handicap Stakes, The Adorn Hats Fillies’ Handicap Stakes, The Marc Findlay 21st Birthday Nursery Handicap Stakes and The British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Stakes. The concluding race is The Thirsk Curry & Comedy Night 11th October Handicap Stakes.

The winner of the main ‘Best-Dressed Lady’ competition will receive a £300 gift card to spend in store at Barkers of Northallerton along with a free year’s subscription to either Yorkshire Ridings Magazine along with flowers, champagne and chocolates. In addition, the winner will go forward to represent Thirsk in the Grand Final of the ‘Best-Dressed Lady Racegoer in Yorkshire’ competition, held in October at Doncaster racecourse.. It’s the culmination of a special competition linking all the individual ‘Ladies Days’ on the Yorkshire racecourses this summer. She will then have the chance to win a luxury prize 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 £2,500 courtesy of lovevintagediamonds.com

There are similar prizes in the ‘Best-Dressed Gentleman’ competition, while the lady adjudged to be wearing the best hat will receive a £150 gift voucher donated by milliner Jenny Roberts of Adorn Hats of Harrogate, along with other prizes. There’s also a pair of runners-up prizes in all three categories.

Musical entertainment from the bandstand is provided by The LA Jazz Band; for the children, there’s a playground and bouncy slides. The giant screen, situated opposite the stands, will enable racegoers to follow even more of the action.