Riot of colour sidelines punters on Listowel Ladies’ Day
And, given the magnificent style on show, even seasoned racegoers concurred it was more difficult to predict the destination of the winner of the fashion title than a winner out on the course.
Choosing the best-dressed lady fell to celebrity model coach Celia Holman-Lee and Rose of Tralee host Daithí Ó Sé.
The experienced Celia declared that sleek, tailored Hollywood glamour was very much the order of the day, with many of today’s trendsetters taking inspiration from the 1940s and 1950s.
And so it was with the winner, who scooped a €1,500 spending spree for Chic Boutique in Listowel and €500 in cash.
The head-turning winner was Maria Murphy, a Listowel native who is a primary school teacher in Galway. She wore an elegant mint and cream laced dress from Athlone designer Sharleen McCaffrey which, she said, was inspired by 1950s air hostesses.
She accessorised with a hat and bag she made herself and a fur wrap inherited from a great-aunt.
“I’m absolutely thrilled, she beamed. “I took the day off work for this as I never miss the Listowel Races.
“I’ve never won a competition like this before. We’re having an absolute ball,” said the glamorous winner, who was accompanied by her mum, a Listowel dressmaker.
In second and third place were Anne-Marie Blennerhassett from Tralee and Bernadette O’Sullivan from Milltown, Killarney.
The winner of the best hat design competition, meanwhile, was Maria Stack from Listowel.
While there was excitement for fashion fans, it was a frustrating day for punters on another day of unpredictable racing.
The feature event was the €26,000 Guinness Handicap, which ended in disappointment for another strong favourite, with the Christy Roche-trained 7/1 shot Park Ranger outsmarting the Dermot Weld-trained favourite Hisaabaat.
Despite disappointing weather conditions, crowds held up well throughout the week, with hotels, pubs and restaurants reporting a steady if not remarkable surge.
“It’s a long week and the weather didn’t help on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday but it really picked up later in the week,” said publican Christy Walsh.
“It is packed today and the crowds have been streaming to town since early morning. It has the makings of a great weekend, with the match,” he said.
As if they didn’t have enough to do on their busiest week of the year, publicans found time to organise a celebrity football match to raise funds for the Listowel branch of the Parents and Friends Association.
Kerry legends Darragh Ó Sé, Eamonn Breen, Noel Kennelly and Mick Galwey, representing the Kingdom All-Stars, matched a team of jockeys, including Barry Geraghty, Davy Russell, Seán McDermott and Martin Ferris.
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