Glamourous racegoers have braved the rain to flock to Aintree racecourse yesterday (April 14) for the Grand National Festival’s Ladies Day. Flamboyant outfits including a jacket made out of leaves and jaw-dropping headwear were the order of the day as 50,000 fans passed through the gates.
Racegoers kept up the traditional standards despite the newly relaxed casual dress code at the Merseyside course, where the temperature reached highs of just 8C.
The event is part of the three-day Grand National Festival and is known for being one the biggest events in the social calendar. Around 150,000 people will be attending the three-day race meeting while over 600 million people worldwide are expected to watch Saturday’s showpiece steeplechase.
This year’s Grand National festival will see £3.47million in prize money paid out. Noble Yeats won the race with Sam Waley-Cohen last year, in his last ever race before retirement. Punters are expected to wage £150million on races, while thirsty race fans will have to fork out £7.50 a pint.
Liverpool’s fashion boutiques are also expecting a 600% rise in fake tan purchases and a 65% uplift in fake eyelash purchases before the event. Ahead of the Grand national today, we’ve rounded up some of the best photos of ladies who took part in Aintree’s famous Ladies Day event.