THE spotlight began with the ladies - now it is time for gents to start thinking about their raceday outfit.

This year, Cartmel Racecourse will hold its inaugural Ladies Night - an evening of top racing set against the backdrop of the beautiful Cartmel Valley.

As revealed last week, scouts will be on the lookout for the best-dressed lady with a prize worth £1.1k up for grabs.

Today it is announced that men will be in the spotlight too, with judges scouring every corner of the racecourse in a bid to discover the most dapper chap.

Steve Cooper, racecourse director at Cartmel, said: "Since we launched our inaugural Ladies Day, along with a competition for the best-dressed lady, there have been calls for a prize to recognise the most dapper gent as well.

"I'm very pleased to say we will also be scouting the racecourse's paddock and course enclosure areas for men who are dressed to impress on our May meeting.

"The race night is shaping up very nicely and we are really looking forward to welcoming both men and women who are dressed to impress and ready to enjoy a fantastic evening."

The first race meeting of the year gets under way at Cartmel during the Whit weekend on Saturday May 25. That will be followed by a Bank Holiday Monday meeting on the 27, with Ladies Night - the only evening meeting of this year's schedule - on Wednesday 29.

The event - for which The Mail is the headline sponsor - will see thousands of people gather.

The event will also see guests get the chance to dine in the exclusive surroundings of Rogan at the Races.

After tickets have been handed out to people who have dressed to impress, there will be a grand finale when the winners will be crowned.

They will get a fantastic prize worth £1,150 which includes 15 paddock tickets to the Monday August 26 Bank Holiday meeting, a party tent for 15 people, 12 bottles of prosecco, pizza and a barbecue lunch.

The first of seven races is expected to get under way at 5pm, with the last race reaching the final furlong around 8.30pm.

The usual funfair will be in full swing for youngsters to enjoy, while as ever, barbecues and picnickers are welcome. Tickets are just £5 for the Course Enclosure and £10 for the Paddock Enclosure.

There are nine meetings at Cartmel Racecourse from May to August, with plenty of highlights in the calendar. On June 28, Sir Cliff Richard will perform at the racecourse.

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