The fashion stakes are high for Ladies Day at Musselburgh

Published on Wednesday 15 June 2011 13:32

THEY're under starter's orders. For even though the first flutter won't be placed until tomorrow afternoon, preparations for Ladies Day at Musselburgh racecourse are well under way - and there's not a tub of saddle polish or a curry comb in sight.

The annual event is fast becoming one of the must-do social events in Lothian - which is why it sold out two months before the big day - with most of the fillies turning up groomed to within an inch of their Minx nails in the knowledge that the fashion stakes are even higher than those on those on bookies' blackboards.

So today tans will be sprayed on, hair will be teased and tonged, and nails shaped to perfection, while the complex details of how to stuff a rainproof poncho inside a clutch bag and walk on grass in vertiginous heels without sinking from sight will be worked out to perfection.

This year is the sixth Ladies Day, an event which has gone from being a novelty evening on the sporting calendar to Scotland's answer to Ascot. Around 7500 people will flock through the racecourse gates from 11am tomorrow - more than half of them women.

Not that it's a particularly cheap day out - tickets start at 25, but hospitality packages vary from 57 a head for a picnic up to 250 plus VAT per person for the Queen's Stand Private Suite, which takes 20 people, and then there's the betting - and drinking - money to add to the bill.

But that doesn't put off the loyal Ladies Day-goers. In fact, so popular an event has it become that there will be people who begin planning their outfits and hats for next year as soon as the last race is won on Friday.

Women like Liz Cann for instance, a 43-year-old special needs primary school teacher who, along with a band of nine other friends, has a specific savings account to cover the costs of their annual soiree. "We love going," she laughs. "It's just a great day out, to get really dressed up and to people-watch - you see so many amazing outfits and hats.

"It's planned like a military operation. We start from the end of one year to plan the next year because it really is just a great day where ladies can get totally dressed up in a way which they can't really do at any other time.

"The first thing we do is book the day off work, then start saving. There's always lots of discussion about what to wear months beforehand. This year I'm wearing a royal blue watersilk and taffeta dress and jacket with a cerise pink fascinator, which is pretty large, and killer heels. I only managed to get my handbag from TKMaxx last week but I'm all ready now. Just got to get the fake tan and nails sorted."

Liz admits that while they've been lucky with the weather in recent years, they go prepared for every eventuality. "That would be one of my tips for anyone going for the first time," she says. "Take a brolly, or a waterproof poncho with you - we've got brollies to match our outfits this year - and we've also got blankets and plastic covers for our heels so they don't sink into the grass."

The mum from Corstorphine and her friends start the day with bacon rolls and bubbly and normally get to the racecourse early for good seats, "but this year we've booked a picnic table, so that's already sorted," she says. "There's always so much going on. The Fashion in the Field event is fantastic, and there's so much entertainment during the day. Then there's the races themselves, which again are great fun. One year we won enough money that it meant the day paid for itself and we had enough to have dinner at Tigerlily. That was a good year.

"But my advice to anyone going for the first time is to really go for it in terms of what you're going to wear, because if you don't you will feel a bit out of place."

Another regular is Dawn Wiggins - who says that Ladies Day actually inspired her to launch her own business making hats and fascinators. The 38-year-old mum-of-two from Wallyford says: "I only came to Edinburgh seven years ago, and I've been going to Ladies Day ever since it started. I love the races. I've been at Ascot a couple of times, and Musselburgh is the only other racecourse that comes close to that. I just love the glamour, fashion, dressing up . . . the whole buzz of it. It's just great that people make an effort. The first year I went I did get dressed up and wore a large hat - and I won a competition."

However, it was coming third in a hat contest at Ladies Day three years ago that spurred Dawn on to greater things. "The prize for the woman who actually won was a day's millinery course and she didn't want to do it, so we swapped prizes. I went and loved it and started making fascinators. Then when I was made redundant from the bank I worked in a friend encouraged me to do millinery full time. I've just had my busiest time ever making four hats for Ascot and 12 for Musselburgh."

Like Liz, Dawn goes with a large group of friends to the event and similarly they too start the day with a breakfast of bubbly or Bucks Fizz. "Then we just head down and get our bets on quickly. That would be my advice to anyone coming for the first time. Get your bets on and then you can get involved in everything else that's going on."

Someone who will definitely be doing the latter is Nicola Martin, who last week was crowned the Evening News Face of Ladies Day. The 40-year-old says: "I've been twice before - and twice to Ascot - and for me Musselburgh is more intimate and more friendly. I just love the fact that everyone gets dressed up and really makes an effort. There's a real buzz - it's like being at an enormous wedding.

"I'm just going to soak it all up this time, and I think being more involved with what's happening will be fantastic."I'm going to wear an electric blue silk skirt, white bustier top and a black fascinator with white feathers and a blue spray. But come rain or shine we'll be having fun."

ALL ABOUT THE VITAL STATISTICS

AROUND 7500 people attend Ladies' Day every year - 4800 of them women.

There will be more than 3000 hand-picked strawberries from Tayside eaten by racegoers tomorrow, which will be washed down with Champagne - more than 800 bottles are normally purchased during the day.

A team of chefs work throughout the night to prepare all the food required on the day - with 20 of them working specifically in the course's main hospitality restaurants.

A total of 10,902 Tote bets were placed on Ladies' Day last year, with the average racegoer spending 7.11 per flutter. Tote is the official betting partner at the racecourse.

There are only two cashpoints at the racecourse, so the advice is to take your money with you.

East Lothian firm Belhaven Fruits is using its latest product Ice Delight to sponsor Ladies' Day and there will be 300 of the fat-free, gluten-free and dairy-free fruity desserts being handed out.

GET A HEAD START

WHILE fashion might be at the forefront of most minds, the racing is not just relegated to being a sideshow at Ladies Day.

So what should a novice at Musselburgh do to try and make sure they leave the racecourse with some money in their pockets, and not see the day become a financial night-mare?

According to the Evening News' racing expert Joe Rowntree, the best place to find out where you should place your bets is the parade ring.

"They need to get there and have a look at the horses, to try and get as close as possible," he says. "Try and see what's happening in the saddling boxes and just watch them being prepared for the race. Look out for horses which are sweating, which is a negative sign as it means they are using up nervous energy and getting a bit wound up.

"Also if they're jig-jogging around, it's not a good sign.

"You need to look for a horse which appears calm and relaxed, which looks up for the job but is not getting excited. Horses can get excited for various reasons, but ultimately it means something is bothering them and their mind is not on the job. And if a horse is being led around the ring with two handlers, then it means it's being a bit headstrong."

He adds: "If you can get really close to them by the railings, then check to see if they're grinding their teeth - another negative sign, as again they're obviously not happy. And when the jockeys come into the ring, watch the horses' demeanour. If they start swinging their back ends round, then they're getting wound up."

Joe also suggests looking at a horse's coat to judge its health. Look for a glossy coat and a clear eye, if the coat is dry-looking and sticks up, then the horse's system may not be 100 per cent right.

"Basically you're looking for a horse which looks well. I would also look at the horse's neck. The head is the heaviest part of a horse, so it needs a strong neck. Look for two lines of solid muscle down the neck, and again if the neck seems a bit slack then the horse isn't 100 per cent.

"They're equine athletes these horses, shape and size doesn't really matter, it's down to health and its state of mind on the day."

Joe admits that looking at a horse's "form" can be a minefield for a novice gambler, and says that "horses for courses" should be the rule of thumb.

"On the race card there will be a (C) or a (CD) against the horse's name. That means that it's either won at Musselburgh in the past, or has won at Musselburgh over the same distance it's intending to run that day. So from that you know that the horse has been happy at the course in the past, and should therefore be happy there again.

"Horses have likes and dislikes too - they don't always like the same tracks, so look to see how they've performed at Musselburgh in the past.

"And don't forget the weather. If it's going to be a muddy day, then look for a horse with large feet. Horses with smaller feet do better on fast ground."