Posh frocks and pretty hats at Ladies' Night

By Amanda Little

Last updated 18:53, Tuesday, 05 August 2008

One of Carlisle’s biggest race meetings of the year took place on Monday night.

Friends Lois Wharton, 16, from Penrith (left) and Sally Butterworth, 17, from Bolton, near Appleby

Slideshow: Ladies' Night in pictures

The Ladies’ Night event at the Blackwell track attracted a bumper 7,038 crowd, just below last year's attendance record.

It gave women a chance to don their posh frocks and hats in glorious sunshine.

Racecourse boss John Baker said the meeting is firmly established in Carlisle’s social calendar.

“It was a fantastic night and it seems as if more and more women really make an effort.

“It’s becoming a real tradition for people who seem to pencil it into their diaries and plan their outfits. The outfits seem to get better every year," he added.

Jessica Clark, from Kirkpatrick Fleming, near Gretna, won the prize for the best dressed woman.

Beth Reid, from Whitehaven, was runner-up with Sophie Lane, from Kirkpatrick Fleming in third place. Sylvia Murray, from Walton, near Brampton, won the prize for the best hat.

A Carlisle man arrested during the meeting has been charged with being drunk and disorderly. He is said to have shouted abuse at jockeys. He is due to appear before city magistrates on August 19.