Glamorous racegoers stepped into the weekend in style as they descended on Epsom Downs Racecourse for Ladies Day.
Cheery revellers got the day off to a fashionable start as they showcased fancy fascinators adorned with feathers and decadent bows, risqué hemlines and skyscraper heels.
The ensembles on display for the Derby Festival were as daring as ever, with low-scooped corset style tops on display alongside racy thigh splits.
Others dressed for the occasion with bright and vibrant hats, oozing glitz in a bid to be crowned best dressed.
Ladies Day features the third Classic race of the season, The Betfred Oaks. This highly-anticipated race day is also a chance for racegoers to showcase their style
Strike a pose! Glamorous racegoers stepped into the weekend in style as they descended on Epsom racecourse for Ladies Day
Strike a pose! The event is a chance for revellers to show off their style, and several were racegoers were determined to show off their style prowess
Here come the girls! Despite cloudy skies, revellers at the Epsom Derby dressed to impress in bright and bold frocks and fascinators
A moment for the glamour! An statement fascinator is a staple for Ladies Day, and one reveller certainly didn’t hold back with
Say cheese! Three joyful attendees take a moment to rest their feet among the celebrations
Horsing around! Excited revelers pose with an entertainer riding a motorised horse ahead of the Betfred Oaks
Here come the girls! Spirits were high in Epsom as the weekend celebrations kicked off
Strike a pose! Derby revellers dressed for the occasion with bright and vibrant hats
Monochrome magic: One glamorous attendee opted for a thigh-skimming gown and striking white fascinator
Ladies Day sees the best-dressed attendee crowned in The Style Awards, as the racegoers from the Grandstand and Queen’s Stand enclosures are assessed for the most show-stopping outfit.
It also features the third Classic race of the season, The Betfred Oaks. This highly-anticipated race day is also a chance for racegoers to showcase their style, with colourful dresses, wide-brimmed hats and fancy fascinators.
The website calls Ladies’ Day ‘a spectacular, gleeful celebratory day where people come together to join in racing’s most spectacular carnival’.
The owner normally receives about 75 per cent of a race’s prize money, while the remaining 25 per cent is generally split between the trainer (10 per cent), the jockey (10 per cent) and then the final 5 per cent to stable staff and racing charities.
While all eyes are on the runners and riders of the day, the competition also provides the opportunity for the ladies attending to fight it out for who is best dressed on the other side of the fence.
Epsom organisers describe the Derby as the ‘world’s greatest flat race’.
Feeling festive: revellers linked arms as they arrived in their masses for the all-important event
Bottoms up! Spirits were high on Ladies Day despite the bleak weather
A moment of glamour! One racegoer opts for a show-stopping monochrome look for the highly-anticipated event
Strike a pose! Donning an entire rainbow of bright colours, revellers rain for the opening day of the two-day festival
Waiting for the mane event: excited guests eagerly anticipated the start of the races
Hundreds turned out for the event, which has been held at Epsom Downs since 1780
With an incredible prize pot of £1.5million, the race lasts one-and-a-half miles.
The owner normally receives about 75 per cent of a race’s prize money, while the remaining 25 per cent is generally split between the trainer (10 per cent), the jockey (10 per cent) and then the final 5 per cent to stable staff and racing charities.
Cheltenham Racing Festival, which takes place in March, has taken the decision to rename ‘Ladies’ Day’ as ‘Style Wednesday’ to encourage both men and women to take part in the fashion competition.
The Jockey Club, which runs 15 courses across the UK, also ditched the Best Dressed competition.
Instead, the day now includes the Slow Fashion awards, open to both men and women, which ‘celebrates vintage and borrowed items, as well as investment pieces’.
