The Showcase 2019 at Cheltenham Racecourse – Round Up
Welcome to the round up! What a meet it’s been, Cheltenham absolutely never disappoints. The weather has been atrocious which is why I stated in the previous blog that it’s vital you dress for the weather at Cheltenham! We are now into the Autumn/Winter racing and you just can’t afford to freeze there. Despite the wind and the rain, Cheltenham racing is back and I couldn’t be happier, it’s my home away from home.
I hope you enjoy this follow up blog!
The Showcase Day One – Friday 25th October
The long awaited day arrived! The first meet at Cheltenham for the 19/20 Jump Season! For any racing fanatic, this is the day we all wait for.
The weather was set to be awful and it did rain the whole of the way to the course, however, we were so lucky that it held off the the majority of the day whilst we were actually there, and only started to come in towards the end of the day.
I am a member at Cheltenham, but for entry to the course normally, there are two Enclosures, Best Mate and Clubs/Tatts. Best Mate is a more affordable ticket option, but has less of the ‘perks’ that the course has to offer. The Clubs/Tatts tickets allow you access around the course, such as the pre-parade and parade ring viewing.
Racing was as thrilling as ever on the day. I try and keep up with form and other courses as much as possible, but I don’t have as much time as I used to, to keep as up to date as I used to be. The first race saw Champagne Well take the win under Paddy Brennan, a brilliant start to Cheltenham for them. We then saw Sam Twiston-Davies take his first Cheltenham 19/20 win on the incredible Al Dancer in race two. Race three for us was a special one as my friend knows Cillin Leonard who won on Duke Street for trainer Dr Richard Newland. The racing promised to be action packed, and that it was. Race four saw 33/1 Heaven Help Us take the win under Danny Mullins, I bet there were some happy betters on that one!
Alongside the racing, there is a smaller style shopping village at the October meet, but this featured some amazing brands such as Grays and Welligogs, two of my go to outfit brands. There are, of course, several bars and food outlets on site, as well as Costa Coffee. Having driven both days of the meet this time around, the coffee bars were my best friend! The Mac and Cheese food unit on site is definitely one I would recommend, it is usually there at every meet, at the top of the parade ring!
It was so wonderful to be back on home ground despite the weather. The days are always jam packed and if you follow my Instagram you will have seen a little bit of what we actually get up to. My friend that I always go racing with works on a racing yard so is equally as passionate about watching the actual racing- not just going for a jolly!
For those of you who missed the racing from Day One, the results can be found below.
Results:
Race One: 1st- Champagne Well, 2nd- Braid Blue, 3rd- L’Air Du Vent
Race Two: 1st- Al Dancer, 2nd- Not That Fuisse, 3rd- Getaway Trump
Race Three: 1st- Duke Street, 2nd- The Big Galloper, 3rd- Treasure Dillon
Race Four: 1st- Mulcahys Hill, 2nd- Wholestone, 3rd- Minella Warrior
Race Five: 1st- Heaven Help Us, 2nd- Master Debonair, 3rd- Fred
Race Six: 1st- Petite Power, 2nd- Planetagenet, 3rd- Fingerontheswitch
Race Seven: 1st- Benny’s Bridge, 2nd- Falcon Sun, 3rd- Oakley
The Showcase Day One – Friday Outfit
Part of the fun of Cheltenham is finding an outfit and getting dressed up. All of my outfit details can be found with website links below.
The weather was incredibly patchy on the Friday. Rain poured in the morning before arriving at the course so I had a last minute outfit change beforehand. It then managed to stay fairly bright and dry until about the fourth race. This always happens at Cheltenham and you do really need to be prepared for the weather!
I nearly always opt for a fedora hat for the races. It is the classic style anyway, but more importantly if it rains this will become your new best friend! Both the fedora and hat pin are from High Bird Designs and match the rest of the accessories I’ve chosen. The scarf is one of the narrow range from Clare Haggas Fine Art. These scarves are perfect for the racing season and can add an additional colour pop to your outfit.
My beautiful jacket is new season from Welligogs. If you follow my Instagram, you’ll have seen this jacket creep up already- I LOVE IT! This is a classic race day jacket and is sure to turn heads. I’ve had a lot of people asking about it and commenting on it. As always with Welligogs, this jacket is ultra flattering and fits incredibly well, with quality second to none. They have also released this in a gorgeous blue and tan for the A/W Season. The jacket is a longer style, perfect for the transition into Autumn. This jacket has gorgeous red and mustard colours through the check, this is subtle enough to wear with any colour outfit, or you can use your accessories to really enhance those colourings.
My jumper is just an old season knit from Gap. There is an outlet in Gloucester Quays where I picked this one up from, they are a great place to find everyday knitwear. I paired the cream jumper with a black cord skirt, which was actually new season from Primark- race day fashion doesn’t have to be expensive! I’m also wearing fleece lined tights from Primark- an absolute winter must have!
They say accessories make an outfit, and I couldn’t agree more! My gorgeous hair on hide belt is from Hicks and Brown. I’ve featured this belt previously in a blog, so you know it’s one of my favourites. The cream and brown spots add an eye catching twist to your outfit, whilst still being subtle enough to pair with pretty much anything. My clutch was also Hicks and Brown, in a lovely maroon suede, to compliment this colour coming through in the rest of the outfit. I mentioned to you in The Showcase Preview blog that a watch is a vital accessory for your race day, so I’ve worn my Morris Richardson watch, again complimenting the rest of my accessories.
I chose to wear the leather Regina boots by Fairfax and Favor on day one. These are generally my go to if it’s raining. I used the oxblood tassels to tie in with the rest of the outfit accessories.
Full Outfit Links:
Hat and Hatpin – High Bird Designs
Jacket – Welligogs
Scarf – Clare Haggas Fine Art
Jumper – Gap
Skirt – Primark
Watch – Morris Richardson Watches
Belt – Hicks and Brown
Boots – Fairfax and Favor
Clutch – Hicks and Brown
The Showcase Day Two- Saturday 26th October
This is one of the wettest Cheltenham days I think I’ve ever seen. But despite the weather, the crowds poured in to support this incredible sport. It is important to remember that a lot of the public parking is on their grass or gravel, so if it is wet, be prepared for this. As you can see, I did get dirty!
The Centaur actually opened earlier than usual on this day, following a public poll, where the results from Racegoers requested the site air the England vs New Zealand Rugby World Cup Match.
Both Doncaster and Newbury had to call off racing, following heavy rainfall. Cheltenham held another course inspection at 1.15pm prior to racing, but were able to confirm racing going ahead. The ground conditions did lead to several non-runners though.
Cogry was my chance for the first race. Trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies, and a Cheltenham regular, he was my go to. Finishing in 3rd this time around, so not a too disappointing race.
We were fortunate enough to be in the pre-parade and parade ring for the second race with Nelson River. Unfortunately he came in 5th, not quite the win we were hoping for, but he ran a great race none the less! Racing as always was fabulous, and we braved the rain each and every time. I managed to forget my members tog today (it was still attached to yesterday’s clutch), so we braved all the races outside, without the cover of the members grandstand! Once you’re wet, you’re already wet though right – might as well stand out in it!
We normally bump into friends at Cheltenham which is lovely, and a great opportunity to catch up with people we haven’t seen for a while! The whole day start to finish is always jam packed and busy. We are always trying to get things done between the races.
We left a bit earlier this day due to getting back to sort horses, we were also soaked by the end of the day. We did, however, have time for a little retail therapy. Believe it or not, I didn’t actually buy anything, however my friend purchased the beautiful Kuoni Red Jacket from Welligogs, I was very jealous – it’s gorgeous and she’s going to look beautiful in it during the November meet!
For those of you who missed the racing from Day Two, the results can be found below.
Results:
Race One: 1st – The Conditional, 2nd – West Approach, 3rd Cogry
Race Two: 1st- Quel Destin, 2nd- Soviet Pimpernel, 3rd- Torpillo
Race Three: 1st- Saint Qalvados, 2nd- Vaniteux, 3rd- Knocknanuss
Race Four: 1st- Tobefair, 2nd- Sunset Showdown, 3rd- Sykes
Race Five: 1st- Ramses De Teillee, 2nd- The Butcher Said, 3rd- Macgiloney
Race Six: 1st- Slate House, 2nd- Garo De Juilley, 3rd- Go Another One
Race Seven: 1st- Time Flies By, 2nd- Butte Montana, 3rd- Lady In Hiding
The Showcase Day Two – Saturday Outfit
The rain didn’t let up on day two, it poured from the moment I woke up. I had a very basic idea of a couple of items I wanted to wear, but I am usually quite last minute with actually deciding on a complete outfit. This day was no exception. I decided my outfit only probably an hour before leaving- after debating what would be suitable for the torrential rain!
I definitely opted for a rainy day outfit here, after much deliberation.
Of course, opting for a fedora again, I chose to style my High Bird Designs hat slightly differently here and use a twillie scarf to create a band. This small silk band is the ‘Stanley’ Twillie from Finches. The gorgeous autumn tones in this scarf matched the browns coming through in the rest of the outfit, and complimented it perfectly. This is a nice alternative to a hatpin if you want to style your fedora a little differently.
My jacket is the Balmoral Jacket from Welligogs, you will have seen this featured in previous blogs and Instagram posts as it’s probably my go to jacket! The gorgeous Wandering Bee Union Jack scarf has again featured a couple of times previously and for me is a go to accessory.
My trousers are the matte coated jeans from Next, I’ve definitely mentioned these before as I’ve been quite obsessed with them. Despite me thinking they aren’t my usual style, I’ve had so much wear out of them. I chose these because I actually popped out in them first thing to do a couple of jobs and I noticed how they didn’t absorb the rain at all. Sure enough my legs did stay dry whilst at the races.
My Chelsea boots are new season from Welligogs, and I absolutely love them! You might have seen them crop up on my Instagram a couple of times already! I tried these on at both Blenheim and HOYS, and did fall in love. These boots are SO comfortable. They haven’t rubbed once and they don’t hurt the soles of my feet, even when stood up all day. They kept my feet dry all day and endured the mud and rain faultlessly. They come in four colour-ways, so there will definitely be a style for you.
I paired the whole outfit with the beautiful Frank and Grace tweed and faux fur clutch. Also my Morris Richardson watch in Highclere.
I really liked the colours in this outfit and how the grey and brown tones actually complimented each other! For saying this was an unplanned and last minute outfit, I am so pleased with the final look.
Website links below.
Full Outfit Links:
Hat – High Bird Designs
Twillie – Finches
Scarf – Wandering Bee
Jacket – Welligogs
Roll neck – Joules
Trousers – Next
Clutch – Frank and Grace
Boots – Welligogs
Bracelets – Pegasus Jewellery
Watch – Morris Richardson Watches
I hope you have enjoyed the round up. The next race meet at Cheltenham is their big November meet. I will be giving you lots of style and outfit tips in the lead up to this event, so keep an eye out on the blog and my Instagram channel.
If racing isn’t quite your thing, don’t worry, I have another new blog coming in a few days time now, so stay tuned for that one.
Lots of love, Lucinda xo
‘Seek what sets your soul on fire’ – Unknown
{Some of the items featured in this blog were gifted}
