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Welcome to Photo Spotlight. For our latest episode of the series, ANDY HOOPER took in the merriment of Ladies Day at Aintree Racecourse.
One of the biggest events on the UK racing calendar was in full flow on Friday as the Grand National revellers popped bottles of champagne and danced through the day with the sun beaming down.
Ladies put on their finest attire, and also pushed the boat out with their extravagant fascinators, as thousands headed to the Racecourse to soak up all that 2025 Ladies Day had to offer.
The day opened by fans dancing in the streets outside and that continued once they were through the gates as bets were placed and drinks were ordered en masse.
Unbridled joy was the main order of the day as the jockeys negotiated tough assignments, none less than ‘The Chair’ jump during the Topham Handicap.
Our man Andy Hooper was in position at Aintree to capture all the emotion from this landmark occasion in the racing world.
Ladies Day is always a headline-grabbing occasion at Aintree Racecourse and the 2025 instalment did not disappoint as thousands of revellers soaked up the sunshine while drinking straight from champagne bottles
There were hundreds of extravagant outfits for the day with this group of ladies showing off their elaborate fascinators
Grand National weekend is one of the most in-demand race meets on the UK calendar and thousands descended on Aintree
One gentleman in a flat cap roared on the horses as the action was in full swing amid the merriment on Friday afternoon
Let’s dance! Two ladies decide to go for a spin while drinking their cups of Sangria and who could blame them with the sun beaming down on Aintree?
The feel-good factor that surrounds Grand National weekend was in full swing outside when this man decided to show off his dancing skills to a group of children who were there fundraising
Speaking of dancing, these two found their own partner in crime as they bust out their moves by the Rekorderlig cider stand
We mentioned about extravagant fascinators and this woman may well have taken first prize if such a competition was running as she showed off this flowery pink number – which doesn’t do much for clear sight-lines to see the action!
To truly get a scale of just how big an operation it is at Aintree, Andy Hooper’s photo here shows just how many fans are packed into the grandstand to catch sight of the horses
Four guards, as well as a dog also clad in red, stand watch over the trophy to make sure no lairy revellers get ahold of it
A risky strategy, perhaps, to balance a pint of beer on a small stool – and the other pint is precariously left on the floor!
A very classic black and white look here, fit with gloves and a prop oversized lipstick, with many women showing there is to be no expense spared when it comes to looking your best for Ladies Day
One thing it is easy to do at large scale events such as Ladies Day is lose people and this woman took to River Island’s pink carpet in order to try and call to locate her friends
Here is the view down Melling Road with the runners and riders facing a series of jumps that put their credentials firmly to the test
Ginny’s Destiny (nearest to camera, jockey in green) is playing catch-up as tension is at its maximum in Friday’s meetings
If you want to get a sense of scale, well, here is a ground-level view of the tallest jump – ‘The Chair’ – before the horses jumped in the Topham Handicap on Friday
Here is ‘The Chair’ being successfully negotiated during the Topham Handicap which should not be underestimated just how difficult it can be to pull off
One fan looks pretty happy with himself as he celebrates in front of our lens as fans soaked up an electric atmosphere
Plenty took the chance to top up their tans at Aintree with the weather playing its part on a Ladies Day to rememeber
It is quite the sight to see these horses in full flight and here is a head on view of the jumps in the Randox Foxhunters’ Open Hunters’ Chase, which took place on Thursday
A silhouette shot always hits the mark and here is one of a horse and its jockey at the gallops as dawn rolls in at Aintree
After a hard day’s racing it is back to the weighing room as one jockey here makes his way back to be checked by officials
