Cheltenham Festival 2026 sees major change after Ladies’ Day was axed | Racing | Sport
Ladies’ Day is back at the Cheltenham Festival with the second day of the meeting reverting to its traditional title for the first time in seven years. The climax of the National Hunt calendar is here as punters flock in their droves to Prestbury Park.
This year’s renewal promises to be as good as ever, with drinks prices slashed and a host of quality horse races to get one’s teeth stuck into. But one of the biggest changes to the Festival in 2026 is a complete rebrand for the second day. Day two of the March meeting has been known as Ladies’ Day for decades but when the Festival was expanded to four days in 2005, each day was given a distinct identity.
However, in 2020 the generic Festival Wednesday moniker was introduced and in a more dramatic shift, Style Wednesday was brought in two years ago for 2024 and 2025. This rebrand has now been scrapped for 2026, with Ladies’ Day back on the menu.
In an attempt to steer away from gender-specific marketing, organisers chose to drop the official title seven years ago, though the traditional Best Dressed competition and other events remained.
That was until 2024, when the entire day shifted with The Jockey Club’s introduction of Style Wednesday. The second day of the meet now featured a Slow Fashion competition focused on pre-loved clothing. Some took umbrage at the change, though, and The Jockey Club appears to have listened.
The official title is back, along with some new features. The Best Dressed competition returns, along with a pre-racing panel and live music. The first 200 women to enter the Centaur events space will receive a free welcome spritz, for example.
Legendary jockey Rachael Blackmore became the first woman to win the Grand National and Cheltenham Gold Cup. She retired in May last year and has been appointed to a new ambassadorial role as Head of Ladies Day. She said: “It is going to be a very different experience going racing and not heading for the weighing room.
“But I’m looking forward to seeing what racedays are like from the other side of the rails and working with the team at Cheltenham. I’m interested in meeting racegoers to get a proper understanding of why they attend but also what some of the blockers and barriers might be that are stopping their friends and peers from coming.
“Horse racing is an amazing sport and a day at the races provides so much opportunity for people to socialise with friends and meet new people. I’m excited to get involved and see what can be done to engage more women and show them what makes a day at the races such a special and unforgettable experience.”
