Style and Song Set to Shine on Powells Jewellery Ladies Day at Chester
On Saturday, 30 August 2025, elegance will take centre stage at Chester Racecourse as Powells Jewellery Ladies Day returns with a blend of high-class racing, fashion theatre and an evening of music that promises to carry the crowd well past the final furlong. The grandstands will not just be watching horses thunder down the Roodee; they’ll be watching hats tilt, dresses dazzle, and the year’s best-dressed winner crowned.
On the lawns, expect frocks and fedoras to take centre stage. Judges will comb the course for the sharpest looks, with prizes for the top three competitors in the Best Dressed competition. More than a fashion parade, it has become one of Chester’s great social traditions — friends rallying around, laughter bubbling in the summer air, before the serious business of the races begins.
Racing programme builds the rhythm
The racing action opens at 2:10 pm with The Powells Jewellery EBF Fillies’ Conditions Stakes, a Class 2 sprint for two-year-old fillies over six furlongs and seventeen yards, carrying total prize money of £25,000.
That is followed at 2:40 pm by the prestigious Chester Stakes, a Listed contest for three-year-olds and upwards run over one mile, six furlongs and eighty-seven yards. With £60,000 in the pot, it is the richest race of the afternoon outside the big handicap and a stern test of stamina.
At 3:15 pm comes one of the day’s showpieces — a Class 2 Handicap Stakes for older horses, covering seven furlongs and 127 yards and worth a bumper £100,000. Chester handicaps are famously competitive, and this promises to be no different.
Two-year-olds are back on stage at 3:50 pm for The British Stallions Stud EBF Novice Stakes, a Class 2 event over seven furlongs and 127 yards with £40,000 on offer.
The sprinting spectacle continues at 4:25 pm with The Peter & Angela Wilson Anniversary Handicap Stakes. This Class 4 race is set over five furlongs and fifteen yards, offering £25,000 to the winner and sure to deliver fireworks on Chester’s tight, twisting sprint course.
At 5:00 pm, attention shifts to The Harrison Handicap Stakes, a Class 3 dash over six furlongs and seventeen yards with prize money of £25,000. The distance gives a sharp balance between speed and tactical positioning.
Closing the card at 5:35 pm is The Powells Jewellery Handicap Stakes, a stamina-sapping Class 4 contest over one mile, seven furlongs and 196 yards. With £25,000 at stake, it offers the final opportunity for owners, trainers and jockeys to seize the spotlight before the turf makes way for music.
Björn Again to close the show
Once the last winner is led into the parade ring, Chester’s turf transforms into a dance floor. The internationally renowned ABBA tribute band Björn Again arrives from Australia, ready to belt out favourites from Mamma Mia to Waterloo. A warm-up DJ will set the tone at 5:45 pm before the headline act takes the stage at 6:00 pm for an hour of sing-along classics. For racegoers, it means swapping form books for dancing shoes.
A festival of fashion, racing, and music
From gates opening at 11:30 am through to the closing chords just after 7:00 pm, Powells Jewellery Ladies Day on 30 August 2025 promises to be more than a race meeting. It is one of those rare fixtures where style, sport and song interlace to create memories. The going is currently described as good to firm at places, rails set on the innermost line, conditions that should deliver fair racing throughout.
With high-quality contests, a headline musical act, and the ever-competitive Best Dressed competition, Chester Racecourse is preparing to host a day that blends glamour with grit. For many, the ultimate prize will not be measured in lengths but in the joy of being part of a quintessentially Chester celebration.
Discover more stories, race previews and results on RaceBuzz.com.
