Champagne, style and elegant fascinators set the tone for Ladies Day 2022 and this year our own glamorous lady, Nicole Beebee, was kind enough to share her experience of the day. 

It was her first race day experience as an owner, and it did not disappoint. 

Nicole described the atmosphere of Ladies Day at Bath Racecourse as ‘extra special…the sun shone, the Pimm’s flowed and the hospitality was exceptional’, perfectly encapsulating the opulence and sunshine feel of the day. 

As a local who has been to Bath racecourse on many occasions, she thoroughly enjoyed all the perks that came with the owner badge; the ability to park much closer to the course, a delicious 2-course lunch and afternoon tea and access to the parade ring before and after the race. 

The most exciting part of the day for Nicole and her sport enthusiast partner Lee was mingling with likeminded owners. A certain well-known local sportsman who was present caught their attention and after a long chat with him they were both left in disbelief. 

General entry would have been £35 each, which considering an annual membership of The Gold and Green Crowd is only £100, the £70 saved was a huge chunk of the investment back as well of an amazing day!

Nicole said “It was such great value for money…Gold and Green made the whole process really easy”. Nicole certainly understands the dress code in a fabulous floral dress and pink fascinator and while she missed out on the Best dressed title, she still had a lovely day supporting Gold and Green’s horse Oriental Beauty. 

When asked the age-old question, if she had any race day traditions that bought her luck, she said, “my old gran used to always tell me to back the grey, she never won much though, so I don't stick to that” and prefers to bet from her heart instead. For example, in the final race of the day there was a horse running called Malcolm which resonated with her as it is her eldest son’s middle name, who was named after his late Grandfather.

Nicole’s love for horseracing blossomed in front of a television screen in childhood where she regularly watched the film Black Beauty and the Grand National with her family. However, the race day moment which pervades in her memory is 5th April 1997 when the scheduled 150th running of the infamous Grand National was suspended due to a bomb scare. 

For Nicole, Ascot is her all-time favourite racecourse because of its prestigious aura and the royal connection. The chance to watch a Gold and Green horse run there would be a thrill she hopes to enjoy.

The Gold and Green horses she devotedly follows are Military Decoration, One of Our Own and Oriental Beauty because they are the most horses in the syndicate that run most locally to her, but she loves being able to follow the whole team on the easy to use App and Members website.

Nicole’s demanding job means midweek racing at a racecourse such as Doncaster is off the table so closer-by racecourses such Chepstow and Bath are her go-to to “nip over for an afternoon of racing”.

She first got involved with Gold and Green just over a year ago due to the syndicate’s connection with her workplace, the Midland Air Ambulance Charity. As she so eloquently puts it “there is real synergy between horse racing and the need for air ambulances so it's a great match”. She says she “loves the interaction from Gold and Green and it’s the only app I’ve used. Craig’s updates are brilliant, and all the content is informative.”. 

Although she is only a year into her Gold and Green membership, she loves the community spirit and regularly uses the social chat function to see if other members are going to the same events as her. Bath’s Ladies Day 2022 might have been her first race day experience as an owner, but it certainly won’t be her last.