Crowds turned out in all their finery for the St Austell Brewery Ladies’ Day at Newton Abbot Racecourse on Tuesday 26 June. Despite the rain clouds threatening an appearance, the weather held out for another dry evening meeting at the South Devon racecourse.

Whether you're single, loved-up, planning a proposal or celebrating your Golden Wedding Anniversary, make the most of what the Valentine’s weekend has to offer, with fabulous racing-themed gifts, opportunities and days out:

One lucky racegoer left the raceday on Thursday 1st September at Newton Abbot with a bigger win than expected, walking away as the proud owner of a new diamond ring and fiancé.

As Chester Racecourse opened for business in 2011, on Wednesday 4 May, the sun shone and the crowds poured in to enjoy the popular May Festival.

While the ladies strutted their stuff in the usual fabulous fashion concoctions, the action on the track was equally exciting across the three days:

SEE THE LADIES DAY PHOTOS HERE

Good weather ensured that the 2nd annual Racing Home for Easter Festival in Mallow was an overwhelming success. Thousands of people including a few hen and stag parties came to Mallow during the 3 day festival to take advantage of the free entertainment and daily activities laid on during the event.

Goldikova was last night named 2010 Cartier Horse Of The Year and also took the Cartier Older Horse Award at the ceremony in the ballroom of London’s Dorchester Hotel attended by an invited audience of 350, including some of the biggest names in racing plus some owners better-known outside the sport such as Liz Hurley, Lord Lloyd-Webber and actor Nat Parker.

See the photos here...

The new Jump racing season got off to a great start at Kempton Park on Sunday 17 October with top Jump jockey ‘Choc’ Thornton, the ‘face’ of Jump racing at Kempton Park for the upcoming season, on hand to offer racegoers an inside view of the life of a Jockey. 

Newbury Racecourse set a new modernday attendance record when 30,000 racegoers flocked to the racecourse for its annual celebration of Flat racing, fashion and music on CGA Ladies Day featuring Party in the Paddock with Westlife. 

With glorious summer sunshine, the best weather on record for Ladies Day at Ripon was met by the biggest attendance at this increasingly popular society event at Yorkshire’s Garden Racecourse on Thursday 17 June.

Yorkshire ladies were out in style and giving the Ascot crowd a run for their money.

The worlds of fashion and horseracing combined on 22 June, for the ever-popular annual Newton Abbot Racecourse’s Ladies' Day.

Royal Windsor Racecourse hosted its first ever “Best of British Sausage Festival” on Monday 24th May with over 5,000 people enjoying a huge range of delicious sausages on the main paddock lawn.

Officials at Chester Racecourse were very pleased with the attendance at Roman Day on Saturday 22nd May, where crowds of over 24,000 enjoyed an exciting days racing in the sunshine for the new fixture.

The anticipation before this Gold Cup – unprecedented in recent years – reached a crescendo as a sustained media frenzy stoked the rivalry between the two previous Gold Cup winners trained by Paul Nicholls at Ditcheat. 

Words and pictures by Sara Waterson

An innovation this year was the Charity Ladies' Sweepstakes which closed proceedings on Ladies' Day. The aspiring jockeys pledged they would raise a minimum of £5000 for the day's official charity, Cancer Research UK, and there was fierce competition from the 136 applications for the final 12 places. Course Director Edward Gillespie admitted it had been a hard task to choose. See photos

It was sunny on Tuesday and we should perhaps have done our fashion coverage then instead of waiting for Ladies' Day on Thursday, when the rain began to set in! Over the Festival however there was a great variety of styles and fashion, varying from the very dressed down and severely practical, to the dizzying heights of soignée perfection. See photos...

Newton Abbot Racecourse is quickly becoming the place to visit for romance with a marriage proposal, double wedding and wedding show at the course this season.

The first race-day of the new season proved to be extra special for one lucky couple last weekend. Darren Symonds took the opportunity to propose to his girlfriend Bethan Hughes, via a message posted on the television screens all around the racecourse.

The weather on Ladies' Day was not so kind as on the first two days, but there was the usual mix of very smart and appropriately dressed lady racegoers (of all ages!) and many who had come dressed for the after-races parties, who might have felt a little chilly as the day wore on! Red and black was definitely the first choice of colour combination this year, after the usual Cheltenham tweeds.

See the photos