GOOD weather helped to kick off the first day of this year’s Ebor Festival.
Sunny spells greeted around 20,000 visitors at today's start of the four day Ebor meeting, which is expected to attract around 90,000 people in total.
The meeting is one of the richest in the north of England and offers total prize money of £2.7m.
James Brennan, the racecourse's head of marketing, said: “It’s fantastic, after the summer we have not been having, that the first day has been started under blue skies and has been very warm. It’s great for people who have planned their outfits and it’s nice to see picnics.”
He said around 26,000 people are expected to attend tomorrow's Ladies Day – traditionally the most fashion-conscious day of the festival.
This year is the first time the festival will close on a Saturday, rather than a Friday.
Karen Ratcliffe, from Brandsby said: “It’s just a fabulous day out and at least it’s dry. The quality of horses makes the day – I prefer the first day. It’s a great opportunity to dress up.”
Liz Harvey, from Great Ouseburn, added: “I came today because I like the horse racing. The weather is fab, the racing is good and I have already won £50.”
MAXINE GORDON finds out how to be a fashion winner at Ebor this year
AND they’re off! The first Fashion On The Field competition has begun at Knavesmire.
Sponsored by Debenhams, some of its leading designers including Jeff Banks, Ben de Lisi and Matthew Williamson are on the look out for the Ebor Festival’s best dressed racegoers.
They will be staging a fashion competition in the Fashion On The Field marquee, choosing a heat winner every day to compete in a final on Saturday.
The winner of each day’s heat will win a £150 Debenhams shopping spree and a bottle of champagne. The overall winner will scoop a two-week holiday in the Caribbean as well as a £500 personal shopping trip with Jeff Banks at Debenhams, lunch at The Ivy with Jeff and a make-over and photo-shoot; make-up from YSL and Elemis; a pair of bespoke shoes from Jimmy Choo and a magnum of Champagne.
Each day, Jeff will be compering the fashion heats with milliner Yvette Jelfs, who will also be holding millinery workshops every afternoon at 4pm in the marquee on Bustardthorpe Field.
The competition will be open to men and women, and the judges will also be picking the best dressed female race-goer today, Ladies Day. The winner of that title will win a trip for two to Dubai courtesy of Marriott Hotels and be invited back to take part in the final on Saturday.
You can register to take part in the Fashion On The Field competition on the day at the marquee.
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson at the races
A hat-wearing Frankie Dettori arrives for the day’s racing
Bright start for feast of racing
IT WAS a good day for Sir Henry Cecil at York Races yesterday. He had a one-two in the big race of the day, the Juddmonte International, Twice Over winning from Midday.
But then it was a good day for everybody yesterday. The weather stayed bright, with sunny spells greeting the estimated 18,000 racegoers. And quite apart from the top-class racing, there was fun and fashion aplenty.
York, in fact, pulled off a national first by staging the country’s first Fashion On The Field competition to find the best-dressed racegoer. Over the four days of the Ebor Festival, leading designers from London – including Ben de Lisi and Jeff Banks – will be choosing their favourites, with a grand final to be held on Saturday. At stake, a two-week holiday in the Caribbean.
And yes, you read it right: that final is being held on Saturday. For the first time in its history, the Ebor Festival has been put back a day, running from Wednesday to Saturday. Having the last day on a Saturday will hopefully give more punters than ever the chance to enjoy this, the most prestigious week in York’s racing calendar.
All the signs are that the race-going public appreciate it. Advance bookings are well up, and racecourse bosses anticipate as many as 90,000 people will visit Knavesmire during the course of the week.
That is no surprise. Ebor week is a glorious festival of racing and fashion, and it is great to see the racecourse pulling out all the stops to make it more accessible to the punters than ever. We look forward to a feast of racing ahead.
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