After weeks of preening and outfit preparation, glamorous racegoers amped up the style stakes today as they descended on Aintree for Ladies Day at the three-day Grand National Festival.
Pulling out all the stops in thigh-skimming frocks, plunging necklines and sheer ensembles, revellers put their best fashion foot forward as they competed to take home the coveted best-dressed award on the second day of the event.
And they certainly gave judges a tough task, arriving in a flurry of precarious heels, statement hats and dramatic dresses.
Early arrivals at the Merseyside racecourse set the bar high, putting on a glamorous display in figure-hugging lace outfits and colourful fascinators.
Joining punters today was the King’s niece Zara Tindall, and her daughter, Mia, 12, who both brought a touch of elegance to the occasion in smart suits. They arrived alongside Zara’s husband, former rugby ace Mike Tindall.
More than 150,000 spectators are expected over the three-day festival, with the showpiece Grand National taking place tomorrow afternoon. Around £250million is expected to be gambled on the race.
Organisers at the Jockey Club said crowds on the first day at Aintree topped 28,000, up 22 per cent on last year, while Ladies Day usually attracts more than 45,000 fans.
Unlike Royal Ascot which adopts stricter rules on what to wear, the festival takes a more relaxed approach and tells attendees to simply come ‘dressed to feel your best’.
And while Cheltenham is all about the tweed country looks, Aintree is its more risqué cousin – and the looks on display this morning certainly lived up to that assessment as many fans opted for mini dresses and off-the-shoulder frocks.
Commanding attention in their racy numbers, revellers went all out in figure-hugging dresses, sheer attire and lacy looks as they flashed the flesh for their big day out.
Fancy dress is also allowed as long as the costume isn’t offensive or derogatory.
Yellow appeared to be a theme of the day, as glamorous spectators brought the sunshine in off-the-shoulder frocks and halterneck dresses.
Meanwhile, one guest today donned a sleeveless, body-hugging white frock with a sheer train, and another opted for a yellow lace gown.
A third glamorous racegoer sported a tight scarlet gown while a fourth brightened up the grey skies in a glittery pink dress.
It comes after one glamorous racegoer revealed on TikTok how she had started her beauty appointments as far back as March to make sure she looked her best for the second day of the Grand National festival on Friday.
Georgia Williamson, from Cheshire, shared the very strict itinerary she laid out, including making time for everything from lip filler to a spray tan and even a ‘debloat schedule’.
On 5 March, more than a month ago, she had a lip filler appointment – and the following day, got her hair dyed and extensions put in.
Then, a few days later on March 13 Georgia began her skin prep by getting a facial. Next, the influencer revealed how she has been ‘taking care of business’ this week – ahead of today’s festivities.
On Tuesday, she got a manicure to make sure her nails were in top shape; and the day after was filled with another flurry of treatments.
Wednesday saw Georgia waxing, shaving and exfoliating, moisturising, getting yet another facial and popping on a collagen face mask.
The day before the races was similarly jam-packed. Georgia had her eyebrows done at 4pm, and then a pedicure at 4.30pm. At 5pm, she booked in a spray tan, and made sure she made time for some exercise with an upper body workout at 7pm.
She also got through a myriad of other chores, such as going to the shop for drinks and swinging by a cash machine, making sure her portable charger was at full battery, whitening her teeth, steaming her outfit and packing a bag for the day.
And today, Georgia’s day started at 5.45am – where she woke up and ‘had a peppermint tea’.
At 6am, she scheduled in washing her hair, and half an hour later, began doing her curls. She had another peppermint tea at 6.45am, and then moved onto make-up at 7am.
By 8am, it was time to get changed – before having another peppermint tea – and then setting off on the bus at 8.30am.
It appears the myriad of peppermint teas are all part of Georgia’s ‘debloating’ mission, which also had a separate schedule.
It included having a walk after Thursday dinner, drinking three peppermint teas on Thursday afternoon, and then doing exercises on the stair master and her upper body.
The festival, which this year takes place from Thursday April 9 to Saturday April 11, is one of the biggest events in the global sporting calendar.
It is also broadcast live to a television audience of around 800 million people worldwide.
The Grand National on Saturday, known as the ‘people’s race’, includes 30 fences to over two laps, making it the longest horse race in Britain.
Following the withdrawal of last year’s winner Nick Rockett on Thursday, 2024 champion I Am Maximus is likely to go into Saturday’s race as the favourite of the 34 declared runners.
The Willie Mullins-trained thoroughbred won the feature race two years ago and came in second to stablemate Nick Rockett last year.
He is aiming to be the first dual winner since Tiger Roll, who won back to back Nationals in 2019.
