Joined by celebrity make-up artist Jemma Kidd, the changeable weather didn’t stop the 30,000 strong racegoers flood in for Ladies Day at Newbury Racecourse on Saturday.

The 105 year old racecourse, one of the most popular tracks for the serious racegoer, recently launched a major new initiative called the Inside Track enabling racing newcomers to get a flavour of the joys and thrills of a day at the races. Through a number of expert masterclasses from learning how to place a bet to how to spot a winner, as well as a series of behind the scenes tours, racegoers were shown how to walk the walk and talk the talk in the racing world.

Jemma Kidd said, “It’s fantastic to see that the great British tradition of spending a day at the races is being revived by Newbury Racecourse, I love going to the races as it’s always such a fun day out to spend with friends and family.”
Stephen Higgins, Managing Director of Newbury Racecourse whose brainchild The Inside Track is, said “Ladies Day is one of our largest racedays and with visitor numbers exceeding last year’s this is the perfect platform on which to launch this novice racegoer campaign.”

The Newbury Inside Track campaign includes:
· A Racegoers Guide to Newbury with useful jargon, details on the runners and riders and an insiders knowledge to some of the best places to visit around the course
· On course Masterclasses and Behind the Scenes tours to get to the heart of the racing action.
· Advice from the experts on how to spot a winner
· Tips on what to do if you fancy a flutter but don’t know your pony from your monkey

Thousands of racegoers were treated to a performance from Westlife. The four Irish boys took to the stage for the first time at Newbury Racecourse as the finale of a trilogy of ‘Party in the Paddock’ events, an initiative aimed at appealing to a new generation of racegoers by fusing popular music with racing. Night Owls then gathered for some apres -racing as Newbury Racecourse became a Hawaiian hotspot at the Hula Bar.