Excited and emotional racegoers have returned to the Grand National for Ladies Day for the first time in three years.
The event, famed for its style, made a comeback at Aintree Racecourse today after being canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic and being held behind closed doors last year.
Gill Carpenter, 55, said she waited two years to wear her outfit, a pink dress with orange accessories, complete with an eye-catching hat she made herself.
She said: “I’m actually quite emotional. This is my favorite meeting of the year.
“I love it, I love the atmosphere, I love the style, so I felt pretty smothered actually being here.”
Helen Flanagan (right) and mother Julia Flanagan arrive for Ladies Day at Aintree Racecourse, Liverpool. Photo credit: Steven Paston via Jockey Club/PA Wire.
Ms Carpenter, from Lydiate, Merseyside, said she had attended Ladies Day every year since she was a teenager.
She said: “I think people are just so happy to be back, to be out there, to see the style and to see people in person again.
“They tried to do it virtually and it was great, it kept us going, I got dressed at home and all that, but actually being here and the sun shining is just magical.”
Jeanette Heaps, from Rainhill, Merseyside, said it was her first time attending Ladies Day with her husband and their two sons.
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She said: “The sun is shining and it’s amazing, I absolutely love it. I’m already buzzing and I just got here and haven’t had a drink yet!
“Liverpool will come into force and make this the best weekend ever.”
Racegoers on Ladies Day at Aintree Racecourse, Liverpool, during the Grand National Festival. (Photo credit should read: Mike Egerton/PA Wire)
Former Coronation Street actress Helen Flanagan was among the race-goers, wearing a brown dress and pink fascinator.
Edyta Jackson, 41, from Hull, wore a white and metallic long dress with a gray Harrods hat to attend with husband Robert, 58.
She said: “I thought maybe the hat is too much, but it’s never too much.”
Racegors pose for photographers during Ladies Day at Aintree Racecourse, Liverpool. Photo credit: David Davies via Jockey Club/PA Wire.
Mr Jackson said: “I think today is kind of a coming out, an adventure for everyone to enjoy and embrace.”
Tracey Allen, 48, and friends, who have traveled to the races from Cumbria, said they spent two years planning their outfits after originally planning to come in 2020.
Racegoers on Ladies Day at Aintree Racecourse, Liverpool, during the Grand National Festival. (Photo credit should read: Mike Egerton/PA Wire)
She said: “We were locked in and then we couldn’t wear what we had, so we had to decide if we could still wear those clothes. We decided to buy something new.”
Influencer Felicity Hayward and her friend Natalie Farouz wore the same pink dress from Never Fully Dressed, but Ms Hayward wore it backwards with a pink fascinator, while Ms Farouz wore an oversized fluffy top hat.
Ms Hayward said: “We both liked the same dress so we thought ‘let’s do this’.”
Racegoers on Ladies Day at Aintree Racecourse, Liverpool. Credit: Mike Egerton/PA Wire.
Maya Killcross, 20, from Port Sunlight, Wirral, wore a white dress with butterfly details that she bought from an Instagram boutique, along with a fascinator that she decorated with butterfly details herself.
She said: “I’ve been planning this for months.
“It’s like a two-year outfit because you have to make up for not having one last year.”
Racegoers arrive at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool for Ladies Day (Photo: Nigel French/PA Wire)
Judith Beckett, 69, from Chesterfield, said she spent £10 on red and black striped fabric which her friend made into a dress while another friend created her matching hat.
She said: “It was horrible when it was canceled in 2020 so I’ve been withholding the tickets and withholding the accommodation ever since and now here we are, it’s wonderful.”
https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/and-theyre-off-excited-racegoers-make-a-glamorous-return-to-aintree-for-ladies-day-41534259.html Here we go – excited racegoers return to Aintree in glamor for Ladies Day