Ladies Day

Thursday at The Festival is now established as Ladies Day.

This is when we celebrate the huge contribution that Ladies make to Jump racing and present the award for 'The Outstanding Contribution made by a Lady to Jump Racing'.

Over the past three years, this award has attracted a large number of nominations from the public. Those shortlisted included ladies involved in Jump racing in many different ways, from trainers and stable staff to jockeys and charity workers. The 2007 winner was Heather Atkinson, Senior Nurse in the Jockeys’ Hospital at Cheltenham for over 30 years. In 2008 the award was shared between Ann Saunders from the Professional Jockeys Association and Lady Chicky Oaksey from the Injured Jockeys Fund. The recipient of the award in 2009 is jockey Nina Carberry, who has already ridden three Festival winners and is thought by many shrewd judges to be the best female Jump jockey of all time. 

2009 is the 90th anniversary of the Women's Insitute in Gloucestershire. To celebrate this, we are working with the Gloucestershire WI throughout the year on a programme of events throughout the county connected with every aspect of 'The Horse'. This will include talks, demonstrations and visits to important equine establishments. Our chosen charity for Ladies Day 2009 reflects the relationship with the WI. The Associated Country Women of the World (ACWW), which has been in existence since 1933, is the largest international organisation for rural women.

On Ladies Day there are also awards for Best Dressed Lady, Best Accessories and Best Hat. Presentations for these awards are made before the horses enter the paddock for the first race. The 2009 winners were: Best Dressed (pictured left) - Michelle Hugo; Best Hat (right) - Maria Cheslin; Best Accessories (centre) - Jane Lunnon. 150 Ladies enetered the competition and the standard was higher than ever, with the judging panel, made up of local fashion retailers, having a tough job to decide on the destination of the awards.