Ladies Day returns to Cheltenham Festival today after a five-year hiatus, with bosses targeting an upsurge in numbers on the lowest-attended day of the week-long event.
Chief executive Guy Lavender, appointed last year, has not commented on the “woke” jibes that were triggered when the day was later resold as the unisex Style Wednesday in 2024.
But after falling to its lowest attendance last year in 30 years, he conceded it was the day with the “most opportunity for growth”.
So last year, following a review, The Jockey Club, which owns the racecourse, decided revive Ladies Day – and figures released on the eve of the event suggest it was a good move.
Pre-bought tickets for the day showed a third were purchased by women, compared to 25 per cent last year. The Jockey Club said it was thanks to a campaign to attract more women to the festival.
And it was reflected on the terrace, where both men and women welcomed the return of the traditional event, which is one of a raft of changes, including a reduction in beer prices and the allowing of people to move freely around the venue with drinks.
Racing enthusiast Kim Stretton-Pow, who has been attending the festival for decades, said: “They should never have changed it to something else, we don’t do woke. It’s a good move for the racecourse.”
Among those to condemn the change in name was former sports minister and now Reform UK member Nadine Dorries, who described it as a “woke nod”.
On the day, there will still be prizes of more than £10,000 on offer for the best-dressed individual, duo and group as part of the Style Awards. There will also be a dedicated Ladies Day zone with live music and entertainment.
Ex-jockey Rachael Blackmore was last year appointed as “Head of Ladies Day”, and has taken her campaign across the country to encourage more women to attend Cheltenham.
Ms Blackmore, who retired from the saddle last year, said: “It’s great to see more women deciding to come along to Ladies Day this year. To see numbers go from 25 per cent to 33 per cent is fantastic and hopefully it’s something that will continue to grow.”
Mr Lavendar said: “We wanted to make Ladies Day an occasion that felt welcoming and exciting for everyone, and the response we’ve seen has been incredibly encouraging.”
Ladies Day comes after an opening Champion Day, which saw the attendance rise three per cent, from 55,492 last year to 57,242. Revellers told The Independent that they welcomed the changes made.
Last year’s attendance for Style Wednesday was 41,949, the lowest festival crowd since 1993.
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