Entertainment

A day at the races: Ladies day at Cheltenham Festival

By SWL staff
March 2 2020, 11.00
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One of the most exciting events of the year, the Cheltenham Festival 2020 is taking place between Tuesday 10 and Friday 13 of March.

The UK’s second largest horse racing event (only to the Grand National), the attendance of Cheltenham Festival grows every year, attracting world-class trainers, jockeys, owners and horses as well as all kinds of punters, from new horse racing fans, to experienced bookies and celebrities.

It’s said to have injected the Gloucestershire economy with an incredible £100 million, as people use local facilities such as hotels and pubs during their stay.

But there’s so much going on within the festival itself, alongside great Cheltenham Day 2 tips. With some fantastic bars, restaurants and hospitality experiences, the racecourse ground offers lots of incredible opportunities for an amazing day out with friends. One of the most exciting days of the year of course, is Ladies Day.

Here’s everything you need to know about it.

When is Ladies Day and what can you expect?

Ladies Day 2020 happens on the second day of Cheltenham Festival, Wednesday the 11th of March. This event sees tens of thousands of people attending, dressed in their finest outfits.

As well as prizes for the racing, there will be some fantastic awards for ladies including best dressed, best accessories and of course, the best hat.

Beginning at 1:30pm, it’s the beginning of the first of seven races of the day. There will be some live music as well at all three enclosures including the Lucky 15’s.

Also, between racing there’s a great Irish band playing in the Guinness Village. New for 2020 is The Park, which features a live DJ set from Laura Whitmore starting at 4:30pm.

The official 2020 Festival fashion ambassador for the year is top model Frankie Herbert, who has already put together a collection of her favourite inspiring race day styles.

For those that like shopping, check out the exclusive, hand-picked boutique shopping village, as well as The Orchard — home to some very luxury, premium brands.

What races are on during Ladies Day?

There are seven races on during the course of Ladies Day. The first at 1:30pm is the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle, a Class 1, with 122 entered to run.

This is followed by the RSA Steeple Chase at 2:10pm, the Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle at 2:50, the Queen Mother Champion Chase at 3:30, the Cross Country Chase at 4:10, the Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at 4:50 and the Weatherby’s Champion Bumper finishing off the day at 5:30pm.

Who are the top favourites to win?

There’s already been loads of predictions made on the favourites to win on Day 2 of the festival. The RSA Steeple Chase, for example, has Champ at 5/1.

Owned by JP McManus and trained by Nicky Henderson, Champ has been quoted in several Cheltenham Festival races and has gone into the season with some career record showing. He’ll definitely be a popular one for this race.

Another one set to be a favourite is Chacun Pour Soi. Marked as an early favourite with major bookmakers, he’s currently at 4/1 win at the Queen Mother Champion Chase.

Tiger Roll is currently 2/1 for the Cross Country Chase, despite having suffered a setback — he’s definitely a popular one who has a great chance at making a big win.

Finally, there’s Get in the Queue at 16/1 for the 2020 Champion Bumper. Chalked up as an early favourite, Get in the Queue is definitely one to watch.

Feature image: Carine06 from UK / CC BY-SA

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