Olivia Clayton, who hails from Worcester in the UK, scooped the Bollinger Best Dressed prize at the Kildare venue for her Ireland-inspired outfit
Olivia Clayton from Worcester in the UK won the Bollinger Best Dressed at the Punchestown Festival
An English woman came out on top in the fashion stakes at another sun-soaked day at the Punchestown Festival on Wednesday.
Olivia Clayton, who hails from Worcester in the UK, scooped the Bollinger Best Dressed prize at the Kildare venue for her Ireland-inspired outfit.
She embraced the colour green, with her look inspired by a tree in her mother’s garden, and it also required some clever improvisation.
Unable to find a hat she liked, Olivia created her own headpiece, starting with a base and adding silk cream and green hydrangea flowers to reflect the garden theme.
Olivia, who is a regular visitor to the Cheltenham Festival, said of her win: “Amazing, honestly, I feel so lucky not only to be a finalist but to come out on top. It’s such an honour.
“The Irish girls really bring their absolute best, so it’s a privilege. Thank you very much.”
The Englishwoman caught the eye of head judge Jess Colivet, who was joined by the In the Edit duo Hayley Nolan and Carol St John, as well as Marietta Doran.
Hayley Nolan said of Olivia’s outfit: “It was actually a standout look. As soon as we saw her amazing hat just caught our eye. And it turns out she actually made it herself, which I think is incredible.”
Olivia Clayton from Worcester in the UK won the Bollinger Best Dressed at the Punchestown Festival
Jess Colivet added: “Olivia brought a really fresh, contemporary perspective and it was very fashion-forward. She wasn’t afraid to push the boundaries.
“There was a real sense of modern style in her look, and I just love the fact that she made the headpiece herself.
“I love the tailoring. When I looked closely at the print, it really stood out, and she wore her look with such confidence. What a gracious winner.”
The Bollinger Best Dressed competition continues on Thursday, with the grand finale on Ladies Day on Friday.
The overall winner will enjoy a trip for two to the Bollinger Estate, including flights to Paris, a stay in a five-star hotel, Michelin-star dining, a private chauffeur, an exclusive Champagne Bollinger experience, and a year’s supply of Bollinger.
On the racetrack, the feature race, the Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup, was billed as a match between the Willie Mullins-trained pair Gaelic Warrior and Fact To File.
But it was Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Gaelic Warrior who held all the aces once again, powering clear for a wide-margin victory in the hands of Paul Townend.
Gaelic Warrior’s owner Rich Ricci said: “We’ve never won this race before. It was very sporting of JP to run his horse, the ground probably didn’t suit him, but he’s a fantastic horse.
“I’m so pleased to win it. I’ve not been here since Ruby (Walsh) retired in 2019. I’ve been busy and we had covid and those kind of things.
“The people here are brilliant and I’m thrilled to win the race. I couldn’t be more delighted.”
It was a rare good result for favourite backers on another day that belonged to the bookmakers, as a host of big-priced winners left most punters scratching their heads.
To the delight of the layers, there were 33/1, 5/1, 18/1, 14/1 and 7/1 winners, with only one favourite, Gaelic Warrior, obliging on the day.
The racing continues on Thursday with eight races on the card, including the Grade 1 Ladbrokes Champion Stayers’ Hurdle.