Thousands dress to impress at Brighton Racecourse (From The Argus)

Thousands dress to impress at Brighton Racecourse

6:50pm Thursday 9th August 2012 in News By Bill Gardner

Thousands of fashion-conscious women descended on a foggy Brighton Racecourse today to celebrate Ladies' Day.

Colourful hats and dresses glittered through the gloom with Best Dressed Lady the most hotly contested race.

More than 340 bottles of champagne were downed at the event - the second day of the Brighton Racing Festival.

Many of the winning jockeys and their trainers had their prizes presented by former ice dancer Jayne Torvill.

She said: “There are so many beautiful dresses, hats and ladies here today. They all look fantastic.

“Ladies Day is always very special at Brighton and I'm so pleased to be here.”

The Best Dressed prize went to Judith Beckitt who won £2,000 - but Debbie Grogan from Brighton also turned heads with her majestic feathered hat and dress.

She said: “My friend made the dress and she used the leftover material to make the hat.

“I feel flamboyant and sexy but if you can't wear something like this in Brighton then when can you wear it?”

Other punters who took the opportunity to flaunt their fashion sense included 57-year-old Becky Kent from Brighton.

She said: “My hat was made by my mother-in-law and my dress cost about £10 but I still feel glamorous.

“I don't really know anything about horse racing but I come every year just to enjoy the atmosphere.”

Law student Rhain Connelly, 19, from Hove was celebrating her first Ladies Day.

She said: “If I win big today I think I'll go somewhere tropical, like Tahiti or Barbados.

“It's a shame about the fog because it was sunny in Hove. But I'm still having a lovely day.”

Stuart Dorn, general manager of Brighton Racecourse, said more than twice the usual number of punters had turned up for Ladies Day.

He said: “A normal race meet will be about 2,000 so this is great. It's good to see so many ladies looking wonderful and enjoying themselves.”

Don't miss a special Ladies Day picture gallery by clicking on this link:

http://www.theargus.co.uk/photos/2012/ladies_day/