Queen Camilla has arrived at the restored Ladies Day at Cheltenham Festival today, marking the tradition’s comeback after a seven-year absence.
The event’s revival follows widespread backlash against organisers who scrapped the centuries-old celebration in 2019, replacing it with “Style Wednesday” — a decision that drew accusations of being “woke”.
This year’s celebration focuses on honouring pioneering women in sport, with the Queen set to award the trophy for the Queen Mother Champion Steeple Chase to the winning connections.
During her visit, the Queen, who serves as Joint Patron of the Jockey Club, encountered several groundbreaking figures from women’s sport.
Queen Camilla has arrived at the restored Ladies Day at Cheltenham Festival today, marking the tradition’s comeback after a seven-year absence.
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PA
Among them was Rachael Blackmore, who made history as the first woman to claim victory in both the Grand National and the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
The Irish jockey stepped away from racing in May 2025 and has since taken on the role of Head of Ladies’ Day as an ambassador for this season’s festival.
The Queen also greeted Red Roses rugby players Natasha Hunt and team captain Zoe Aldcroft, both Gloucester players who helped England secure World Cup glory.
Additionally, the Queen met Aamilah Aswat, who became Britain’s first Black female winner of a jump race while riding in royal colours.
The 2019 decision to abandon Ladies Day sparked considerable controversy among racegoers and traditionalists alike.
Festival organisers faced fierce criticism for ditching what had been a long-standing fixture of the racing calendar, with many accusing them of pursuing a “gender neutral” agenda.
The replacement event, Style Wednesday, centred on environmentally-focused fashion awards — a shift that failed to win over punters who felt the change was unnecessary.
In 2020, Cheltenham went further by rebranding all four festival days simply as days one through four, moving away from the traditional names of Champion Day, Ladies Day, St Patrick’s Thursday and Gold Cup Day.
The days underwent several further rebrands in subsequent years before the decision to restore Ladies Day was announced.
A Cheltenham Racecourse spokesman explained the reasoning behind the restoration in September 2025: “In 2020 we decided to market all four days of the Cheltenham Festival in an entirely different way, changing them from Champion Day, Ladies Day, St Patrick’s Thursday and Gold Cup Day to days one, two, three and four.
“The four days have been re-branded multiple times since and we have now taken the decision to promote the Wednesday of the event as Ladies Day again from 2026, with the primary focus on growing the number of female racegoers in attendance.”
The Queen Mother Champion Chase serves as the headline race on day two, representing the most prestigious contest for two-mile chasers in jump racing.
