It was ‘meant to be’ after a last-minute race ticket and dress purchase led a race-goer to scoop first place in the Ladies’ Day Style Awards. Penelope Banton, who is from Mansfield but now lives in Manchester, looked perfect in purple at the Advertiser Ladies’ Day at Southwell Racecourse on Sunday — and the Style Awards judges thought so too. The thrilling competition puts attendees head to head in a battle of looks, narrowing a field of thousands of glamorous race-goers to just five finalists and one winner, who takes home a £500 cash prize.
Between 11am, when gates open, and 2.50pm, those in their finest frocks or sublime suits are invited to pose at the Style Awards flower wall by the parade ring to be entered into the competition. In the midst of the afternoon’s racing action the highly-anticipated final takes place in the winners enclosure.
The podium was decided by Advertiser editor Sharon Hodkin, who said: “It’s so difficult, I always say this is the worst part of the day — everyone just looks so amazing. “It’s so difficult to pick just one winner.” Penelope was named as the champion for her elegant purple look — bought from Southwell’s The Dress Room just the day before.
She said: “I’m very shocked, I drove to see my mum in Farnsfield on Friday and she was going to the races, so I said I wanted to go too. “We scrambled to get a ticket, and then on Saturday we went into Southwell for tea and stumbled across The Dress Room, where I fou.