Ladies’ fashion to get star rating at Killarney Races

YOU’RE A Star TV show presenter Brian Ormond and his girlfriend, model Pippa O’Connor, will judge the Queen of Fashion competition at Killarney Races, on July 17.

Ladies’ Day has become a massive event in its own right during the four-day festival race meeting, attracting stylish women from all over the country.

Last night, several previous winners of the fashion competition attended a reception, in Killarney, at which details of the upcoming meeting were announced.

Prizes for the winner of the Dawn Dairies Queen of Fashion contest will include a trip for two to New York and a specially commissioned crystal vase.

There will also be a prize for the most stylish hat worn at the races.

Dawn Dairies general manager Gerard Coughlan said following on from the popularity of Keith and Lisa Duffy as judges last year, it was decided to keep with the theme of a glamorous Irish duo to judge the contest.

“Brian and Pippa will follow in the footsteps of many other Irish style icons who have previously judged the Dawn Dairies Queen of Fashion including Keith and Lisa Duffy, Rosanna Davison, Grainne Seoige, Caroline Morahan, Anne Doyle, Natasha Byram and Yvonne Keating,” he said.

In recent years at Killarney Races, hats of many shapes and colours have caught the eye in the enclosure, prompting the race company to initiate a special hats competition.

Many of the hats were created by international milliners including Philip Tracey, as well as Kerry based milliners and designers, even previous Queen of Fashion winners.

This year’s festival, running from July 14 to July 17, has three evening meetings — Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday — and an afternoon meeting on Thursday.

The €20,000 Dawn Milk Run Handicap Hurdle will be the festival’s feature race.