On the Town: Trainers and jockeys mingled with designers and models at a special fashion event in Dublin this week to celebrate the opening of the summer racing season.
Trainer Aidan O'Brien, fresh from scooping his historic double win at Newmarket in England last weekend in the 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas races, was there with his wife, Anne-Marie.
"They are like Olympic gold medals," said Michael O'Rourke, of Horse Racing Ireland. "It's very rare."
Other big racing names who came to enjoy the night at the Four Seasons Hotel in Ballsbridge were trainer Jim Bolger and his wife, Jackie; jockey Ruby Walsh and his girlfriend, Gillian Doran; and trainer Mark Weld (who is assistant to his father, trainer Dermot Weld) and his fiancé, Zoe Costello.
As part of the evening's entertainment, there was a Racing-A-Head millinery competition, with entrants from the Grafton Academy of Dress Designing submitting their headwear designs for ladies who go to the races. Deirdre Boyle, from Glasnevin, was chosen as the winner for her green peacock hat, while Mattie Doody and Veronica Ryan were the other two finalists.
During the summer, Fashion On The Turf, a series of days at the major flat-racing festivals, highlighting ladies' fashion at the races, will help to broaden the appeal of racing, explained Evan Arkwright, commercial manager of the Curragh Racecourse.
"We want a way to raise the profile of flat racing throughout the summer months, when all the key classic festivals take place," he said. "We don't just want to target the purists."
The first Fashion On The Turf day will take place at the Curragh on Sunday, May 22nd, as part of the Boylesports 1,000 Guineas Day.
At the moment, Irish racing is "going through an absolute bonanza", said Michael O'Rourke. In Ireland, "there's a love for the horse . . . We are envied throughout the world . . . We have a native talent, an understanding and an empathy with horses. The indigenous skills base is astonishing".
Among those who gathered for the evening of fashion were Anna Murphy, daughter of Michael Murphy, of Wexford Racecourse, and her boyfriend, Glen Howard, of Vodafone; Paul Hensey, general manager of the Curragh Racecourse; Matt O'Dwyer, manager of Leopardstown Racecourse; Michele Aboud, of Paul Sheeran Jewellers; and Shivonne Edwards, of House of Fraser.