Nadine Dorries applauds Cheltenham Racecourse’s U-turn to reinstate Ladies Day following unisex trial
The Cheltenham Festival has confirmed the formal return of “Ladies Day” for the second day of its prestigious meeting, commencing in 2026, bringing to an end a controversial period of gender-neutral rebranding that officials now hope will reverse a significant decline in attendance.
The decision, announced by the Jockey Club-owned racecourse, marks a definitive reinstatement of the traditional title after the day was trialled as “Style Wednesday” in 2024, a move focused on sustainable “slow fashion” which followed earlier attempts to phase out gender-specific marketing. The racecourse’s stated core objective is unambiguous: to increase the number of women and girls attending the festival.
A Reversal Met With Approval and Criticism
The return has been welcomed by traditionalists, most notably former Conservative MP Nadine Dorries. Speaking to GB News, she hailed the move, stating, “I’m just so glad they’ve seen sense and the wokeness is gone and they’ve given us our day back.” She described the day as a special occasion for women that had been wrongly taken away, a sentiment reflecting broader criticisms that labelled the “Style Wednesday” experiment as “woke”.
However, Cheltenham’s leadership has framed the decision in pragmatic rather than ideological terms. Guy Lavender, Chief Executive of Cheltenham Racecourse, stated: “Our core objective is to get more women and girls coming racing, which we think we can achieve. There is a huge audience of female sports fans that we think will love coming racing.” Early figures suggest a positive response, with female ticket purchasers for the 2026 Ladies Day reportedly rising to 33%, up from 25% for the equivalent day in 2025.
Attendance Decline and the “Style Wednesday” Experiment
The shift in strategy follows a notable slump in mid-week crowds. The festival has experienced falling attendance since a post-pandemic peak in 2022, with the second day proving particularly vulnerable. In 2024, under the “Style Wednesday” banner, the crowd of 46,771 was the lowest for any festival day since 1993, a sharp drop from the 64,431 recorded on the equivalent day in 2022.
This decline has been widely linked to the rebranding away from the established “Ladies Day” concept, which was initially dropped around 2019 before being replaced by “Festival Wednesday” in 2023 and then “Style Wednesday”. The Jockey Club’s September 2023 statement confirmed the historical shift, noting they had decided to market the days simply as one through four before opting to return the Wednesday to “Ladies Day” from 2026 with a focus on growing female racegoers.
A New-Look Ladies Day for 2026
The revived Ladies Day will feature several enhancements aimed at improving the raceday experience. A key appointment is that of legendary jockey Rachael Blackmore, the first woman to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup and Grand National, as “Head of Ladies Day”. She will be involved in community outreach and will feature in a pre-racing panel hosted by Rosie Turner alongside Alice Plunkett and Natasha Hunt in The Centaur pavilion.
Operational changes include a slight reduction in the price of a pint of Guinness to £7.50, the first-time allowance of alcohol consumption along the grandstand rails, and a reduced daily capacity of 66,000 to alleviate crowding. A new undercover bar and food area, “The Retreat”, has also been created for general admission racegoers. The first 200 women entering The Centaur will receive a free welcome spritz, and the popular Best Dressed competition will return.
The 2026 event will also carry a theme of honouring pioneering women in sport, underscored by the presence of Queen Camilla, a joint patron of the Jockey Club. Her Majesty attended this year, presenting the trophy for the Queen Mother Champion Steeple Chase, coinciding with her own public advocacy concerning violence against women and girls. She was joined by other royal attendees including Zara Tindall and Princess Anne.
For her part, Nadine Dorries connected the day to personal tradition, telling GB News her love of racing came from her grandmother. “It’s the day they get dressed up for. It’s just a special day and ladies deserve it,” she said, capturing the personal significance the fixture holds for many, as Cheltenham bets on tradition to secure its future.
