Today, Newbury Racecourse announced international celebrity make-up artist Jemma Kidd as ambassador for its annual Ladies Day featuring Party in the Paddock, 14 August 2010.

With ticket sales fuelled by Westlife’s performance after racing, the Racecourse is expecting to break last year’s Ladies Day record of 26,000 racegoers, meaning the 2010 event will result in the largest attendance in the racecourse’s recent history.

Racegoers from Edinburgh to Exeter and Newport to Newcastle are signing up to attend the August Ladies Day celebration, which includes seven top race fixtures, an evening performance from Westlife, ‘New Racegoer Masterclasses’ and a prize for the most stylish dresser in a Fashions in the Field competition – with the winner being crowned the style queen of Ladies Day.

Jemma Kidd says, “I have a lifelong passion for horses and I am calling all ladies to come to Ladies Day and experience the buzz you can only get from being at the races. For first-timers or those who have yet to be bitten by the bug, Newbury Racecourse’s onsite new racegoer sessions will really allow ladies to engage in racing and help them feel how I do about the sport! In return for a great day out I hope to see ladies giving generously in support of a great cause – The Eve Appeal.”

Newbury Racecourse has also pledged its support of The Eve Appeal as the Official Charity of Ladies Day and is aiming to raise thousands of pounds for the cause in donations. In celebration of this partnership and to raise further funds for gynaecological cancers on the day, Newbury Racecourse has launched the “Eve Salad” – a light, crunchy seafood salad, perfect for an afternoon at the races in the mid-August heat.

For the first time ever, Newbury will be offering onsite masterclasses, which will also be broadcast on screens around the racecourse. Whether it’s their 1st or 100th time at the races, these sessions will give ladies the skills to walk the walk and talk the talk on Ladies Day. Tips will include where and when to be seen, how to get close to the horses, how to bet, and learn the racing lingo – impressing even the most knowledgeable racegoer.

Stephen Higgins, joint Managing Director of Newbury Racecourse says “This year we are launching onsite masterclasses as part of our new racegoer campaign and will have experts available during the day to offer handy hints and tips to help ladies to get the most out of their day. Involving Jemma and the Eve Appeal can only complement this drive and confirm our position at the forefront of the campaign to ignite people’s passion for racing.”

Jemma will be joined on the day by Chanelle McCoy wife of Grand National winning Jockey Tony McCoy and Channel 4 Racing presenter Emma Spencer, who will form the key members of the Fashions in the Field judging panel.

To book tickets to this star-studded day out and for further information please visit www.newbury-racecourse.co.uk

Photo credit: Catherine Balavage