Ladies’ Day in horse racing is one of the most popular days of any festival, and over the past 30 years the concept has grown to encompass pretty much every major meet around the world.
From the Grand National and Cheltenham Festival, to the Melbourne Cup and Hong Kong’s Ladies’ Purse, it’s fair to say the sport has fully embraced Ladies’ Day. In return, horse racing has benefitted from an increased number of women attending races and becoming invested in the sport.
But it’s only in the last few decades that Ladies’ Day has become a firm fixture in racing calendars in the UK, Ireland and further afield. And that has something to do with shrewd ticketing managers understanding how to properly market their events.
In this guide we’ll take you through the origins of Ladies’ Day in horse racing, how the big festivals prepare for Ladies’ Days, and why they’re unlikely to go away any time soon.
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History of Ladies’ Day in horse racing
Many of the UK’s biggest horse racing festivals feature a Ladies’ Day. The idea appears simple: it’s a day that women are welcome at the races. But of course, women are always welcome at horse racing events. So why is there a day supposedly dedicated to them?
Well, the concept of Ladies’ Day actually goes back more than two centuries – and it’s important to understand the historical context of these events. Back in the 1700s men, women and children were all permitted to attend racing festivals, and it was only in the early 19th century that Beau Brummel – the Prince Regent’s mate – suggested a dress code for men.
Men of status, he said, would need to begin wearing pantaloons, waisted black coats and white cravats. The style took on and it’s why men in the royal enclosure at Ascot wear what they do to this day.
However, there was no specific dress code for women because they were expected to dress to their social status anyway. This meant upper-class women in the 19th century wore dresses and coats that befitted their status. Once Queen Victoria started wearing hats at the races, women were encouraged to wear headpieces too.
The first genuine concept of a “Ladies’ Day” emerged at Royal Ascot in 1823, when a poem penned for the event referred to “Ladies’ Day… when the women, like angels, look sweetly divine.” Women used to receive free or discounted tickets for the third day of Royal Ascot, making it an attractive day for them to attend the races.
In the 1870s Australia’s Melbourne Cup organisers pushed a campaign to get women to attend the day after the Cup and instead enjoy the Oaks. This was in effort to reduce overcrowding on the day of the Cup, and led to one newspaper writing:
“[It is] strongly advised the feminine portion of the population to reserve their powers for the real ladies’ day, the Oaks day, when they would have an opportunity of seeing and being seen.”
Fast-forward another century and the concept of Ladies’ Day took on further meaning when more women began attending races without male counterparts. By the 1960s Ladies’ Day was an actual thing at Ascot, even though the organisers have never specifically referred to the day as Ladies’ Day.
By the 1990s race organisers began to realise women were a largely untapped market in horse racing. More UK and Irish racecourses devised Ladies’ Day events – usually in the middle of their festivals – to draw a different crowd for the day. Groups of women began to attend and had easy access to tickets, and so would make a proper day of it.
It worked. Female participation in horse racing has increased, and Aintree’s Ladies’ Day during the Grand National Festival now attracts 50,000 visitors.
These days Ladies’ Day might be seen as something of a marketing gimmick – and a successful one at that. The theory is that women are more likely to group book tickets for the races and have a good time on a day dedicated to them. It could be considered outdated in 2023 but the trend is evident. This has coincided with some of the biggest fillies and mares races – such as the Epsom Oaks, Irish Oaks, Prix de Diane – being held on Ladies’ Day too.
Best Ladies’ Days in horse racing
Below are some of the most popular Ladies’ Day events in the horse racing betting calendar right now…
- Cheltenham – Ladies’ Day at Cheltenham takes place on Day Two of the festival, the same day as the Queen Mother Champion Chase.
- Grand National – Ladies’ Day at the Grand National is also on Day Two of the festival, which is a Friday.
- Ascot – The hats don’t get much bigger than at Royal Ascot Ladies’ Day, which takes place on Day Three of the festival. Royal Ascot don’t officially brand it Ladies’ Day… but it’s what everyone else calls it.
- Epsom – The Oaks takes place on the first day of the Epsom Derby festival and is considered the official Ladies’ Day to coincide with the running of this race for three-year-old fillies.
- Melbourne – Oaks Day at the Melbourne Festival comes after the Melbourne Cup and has historically been known as Ladies’ Day.
- Hong Kong – November heralds the Sa Sa Ladies’ Purse Day at Hong Kong’s Jockey Club, where pink is the general dress code.
- France – The Prix de Diane day at Chantilly is perhaps France’s most visible Ladies’ Day and is the country’s answer to The Oaks.
- Ireland – Likewise, the Irish Oaks acts as a de-facto Ladies’ Day at the Curragh every July.
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