Glamorous racegoers donned their best finery as they arrived at Goodwood for the fourth day of races today.
An array of colourful ensembles, funky heels and unique fascinators were the outfits of choice for the well-dressed guests at the racecourse in Chichester.
Many racegoers in West Sussex opted for classic pointed kitten heels that matched their eye-catching dresses.
However, while some were dressed in bright orange, hot pink and red, others went for more classic and timeless looks.
One group of revellers decided that less was more and therefore stepped out in a blush pink suit, a spotty monochrome strappy sundress and a simple white and black blazer outfit.
An array of colourful ensembles, funky heels and unique fascinators were the outfits of choice
Gates opened at 11am, giving people plenty of time to grab their glasses of champagne and prepare for a day of nail-biting racing.
Photos showed some adorned in entirely floral themed outfits and other women in bright pink ensembles, and some truly gravity-defying hats.
The five-day Qatar Goodwood Fesitval, known as ‘Glorious Goodwood,’ is seen one of the highlights of the British flat racing season.
Each enclosure has different dress codes and rules on what you can and cannot wear to the event.
In the Richmond Enclosure, gentleman are required to wear a jacket and tie and women are required to wear a garden party look which includes a ‘a floaty or floral dress, an elegant top and trouser/skirt combination that is suitable for England in summer’.
This enclosure is relatively exclusive and only available to available to members and their guest, meaning that people from other areas cannot enter.
Goodwood also recommends they ‘leave their stiletto heels’ at home as the uneven ground can be ‘tricky to walk on’.
There is no formal dress code in the Gordon Enclosure, but guests are encouraged to dress in a smart and elegant way.
The Lennox Enclosure also has no formal dress code and instead racegoers are just told to ‘dress suited to an afternoon’s racing’.
One group of revellers decided that less was more and therefore stepped out in a blush pink suit, a spotty monochrome strappy sundress and a simple white and black blazer outfit
One glamorous woman stepped out in a white and pink patterned dress with a classy wide-brimmed hat
Photos showed some adorned in entirely floral themed outfits and other women in bright pink ensembles, and some truly gravity-defying hats
A group of women in fancy fascinators pose for a selfie on the Goodwood grounds today
Each enclosure has different dress codes and rules on what you can and cannot wear to the event
One classy woman dressed in pink and white poses next to a dapper man in a white and blue suit
It’s been a challenging few years for the festival, which was due to welcome 5,000 racegoers through its gates on the final day of 2020 – but those plans were scrapped by the Government a day before it was due to go ahead because of the pandemic.
Goodwood managing director Adam Waterworth said at the time that the U-turn cost the track a ‘six-figure sum’ but the cost to racing was much, much bigger.
‘It has cost us six figures. But it was never a money-making exercise, it was about proving we could get crowds back,’ he said.
‘The loss is huge in what is already a year when there is no profit and the loss figure is getting bigger and bigger. Crowds are what we are all about.
‘Between 70 and 80 per cent of our revenue is directly due to people coming through the gates. It’s a big kick because there was a bit of light at the end of the tunnel having thought we had actually done it getting crowds back.’
Waterworth revealed to Sportsmail that the cancellation of the trial did, in fact, cost Goodwood over £250,000 and confirmed that the track lost millions from not having any racegoers in attendance throughout the whole season.
Goodwood held just 13 racedays – six less than usual – in 2020 due to rescheduling and all went ahead without any paying punters.
