Biggest crowd of the season expected at Nottingham races

Nottingham Racecourse is preparing to welcome a bumper crowd on Saturday for its annual ladies' day, always the most popular meeting of the year at Colwick Park.
A big crowd is expected at Nottingham races on Saturday.A big crowd is expected at Nottingham races on Saturday.
A big crowd is expected at Nottingham races on Saturday.

Last year, the fixture attracted the largest attendance at the track since 1995, and thousands are expected to flock there again this weekend, creating a heady atmosphere.

As well as some of the best Flat racing the course stages all season, the meeting, which is sponsored by Genting Casino, features a host of exciting entertainment, including live music after the last race.

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A marquee will house a retail zone, or shoppers’ paradise, featuring a terrific range of stalls and products. And for the ladies who love to dress up for a day at the races, there is a best dressed lady competition to win an array of prizes.

The big race of the day is the Listed Kilvington Fillies’ Stakes over 6f, boasting £40,000 in prize money. Sponsored by Weatherbys, it is one of the most prestigious and valuable contests of the season at Colwick Park and usually attracts a competitive field of sprinting fillies. Thirteen years ago, the race was won by a filly called Kind, who went on to be the dam of the legendary Frankel!

James Knox, the general manager of Nottingham Racecourse, said: “Our May ladies’ day is the most popular fixture of the season, so we are really looking forward to seeing some very special fashions as always.

“Ladies’ days are one of the triumphs of horse-racing, combining brilliant sport with the chance to dress up, socialise with friends and have a little flutter. Tickets have been selling fast, so we are in for a great day.”

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Saturday’s meeting also includes the start of the popular Grassroots Series of races, run by the course’s owners, The Jockey Club. The series, which is split into categories for sprinters, stayers and middle-distance horses, aims to provide opportunities for horses operating just below the highest level to compete for substantial prize money.

Colwick Park also stages a meeting on Friday evening, which features the Castle Rock Brewery Beer’d Festival and the inaugural running of the Grand Tash-ional, open to spectators sporting moustaches who will race over half a furlong to win a prize in ale.

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