With the Golden Globes have come and gone, the red carpet season is upon us, and with it plenty of celebrity intrigue. While the awards show will effectively end after Oscar Night, celebrity fashion showcases never stop, and the coming spring will offer plenty of chances to catch our favorite A-listers in spectacular outfits. Many of those chances will come during the season’s prestigious horse races, both in Europe and in the U.S., where style is as important as the races themselves.
For a look at what to expect in this spring and early summer’s slate of races, here’s a look back at memorable celebrity appearances at racing events in recent years.
The Cheltenham Festival is essentially the first truly prestigious horse race each year, and it brings plenty of celebrities to England’s Cotswolds region in early March. In particular, it’s the royals from Britain and around Europe that often grab the headlines at Cheltenham in this regard. There are more conventional celebrity sightings, too. Last year, singer/songwriter Lily Allen was spotted at the races, though she played down the fashion aspect and opted for relatively simple attire. For a bolder example, Huffpost’s slideshow of the festival’s opening day back in 2013 shows a few images of famed Olympic athlete Denise Lewis sporting an eye-catching lavender overcoat with dark leather gloves. It was a fine example of the warmer garments that often make up the
general style of Cheltenham.
The Grand National follows Cheltenham as the U.K.’s (and in some regards the world’s) next big horse racing occasion, and typically it’s somewhat less of a fashion event. In part, this is because the Grand National’s main race tends to take over and make the racing competition the main focus of the event. The race isn’t until April, but the Betfair Betting horse racing section is featuring up-to-date odds well ahead of time, placing the focus squarely on the competing horses. However, while racing and betting take center stage at the Grand National, horse racing fashion is still prevalent to some degree, and celebrities are a part of it. Interestingly, this event seems to attract high-profile English footballers (or soccer players). Daily Mail reveals that former star Michael Owen has even supplied his own betting tips for the Grand National, and in 2012 Wayne Rooney and wife Coleen were among the noteworthy celebrity appearances.
If you’re interested in celebrity fashion and sightings at these events, however, the Kentucky Derby is the occasion to tune into. It’s the first of three Triple Crown races in the United States and America’s first major spring racing event in general. The Derby is as recognised for extravagant yet fashionable styles as any sporting event on the planet and seems to be a magnet for major celebrities from sports, entertainment, and elsewhere. As for specific looks, Pop Sugar has all you need to see in terms of what to expect in similar appearances this year. From Paula Patton’s exquisite oversized hat to Ashton Kutcher’s stylish vest and bow tie combination, there tends to be a huge range of celebrity looks to take in.
Generally, horse racing fashion is fairly easy to define. It’s bright, vibrant, and more than a little eccentric. Accessories are over-the-top, hats are enormous, men wear tailored suits and women, weather permitting, show up in sundresses. But the celebrities at these major events add that same extra intrigue that makes red carpet events so much fun to observe, and that makes the spring’s horse racing events particularly interesting to watch.
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