The perfect formula for looking your best at the spring races.

By JOSEFA PETE

The lawns are manicured, the roses are pruned and the horses are lined up in preparation for the race that stops the nation. Spring racing is in the air. Racegoers are opening their closets, dusting off their hats and starting to feel the buzz of excitement. While spring racing may be all about the horses, for some it is all about the fashion. Hats, fabulous frocks and days spent in the sunshine sipping champagne – it really doesn’t get much better.

The Oscars of spring with red carpets, hype and paparazzi (and that’s just in the members car park) means banter about picking winners, a balancing act of hats and a social media overload. The races are all about looking our best and backing a winner. While there is no set formula for picking a winner (choices are made on best horse, best trainer and even pot luck), there IS a formula for looking our best. Choose the right products, the right styles and stick to race day etiquette and you can’t go wrong. Which race day filly are you?

Just as an FYI, you should know that this post is sponsored by Dove. But all opinions expressed by the author are 100% authentic and written in their own words. 

1. The crowd favourite.

She is the celebrity. Trailing behind her is a gaggle of stylists, full hair and makeup teams and a scatter of invitations to the most elite marquees. Her frock sets the trend and her hat is a millinery work of art, delicately balanced as she walks the red carpet. Her look is flawless – her skin is perfect and her hair is healthy and styled, leaving not one strand out of place, even in gusty wind. The odds are always in her favour.

Miranda Kerr image via Getty Images

2. The slow and steady.

She embodies the grace and elegance seen throughout spring racing history. The winter months are spent in meticulous preparation. International fashion trends are studied and the frock is carefully selected. She follows the rules; black and white on Derby Day followed by delicate and feminine for Oaks. Skin is soft and moisturised, hair has been conditioned and treated and ready to be pinned and tucked effortlessly under her hat. She is always a safe bet.

Kate Waterhouse

3. The last minute dash.

She makes plans to go to the races the night before. Her wardrobe is flung open and clothes are thrown across the bed as she desperately tries to pull an outfit together. There is not a hat in sight as she hot glue guns a fascinator together in the midnight hour made from accessories, bling and one perfectly placed feather. She applies her face mask, shampoos and conditions and adds a swipe of makeup before she walks out the door. She is the one who takes everyone by surprise.

Emma Freedman via Getty Images

Spring racing is about having fun. So much fun that your feet hurt, you have sunburnt straps across your shoulders and the day ends with you carrying your shoes as well as your purse. A winning combination is about the right horse and the right trainer. But it is also about the right combination of products that you can trust to get you ready for the day.

My formula for backing a winning horse is to pick the jockey who is wearing my favourite colours. My formula for getting ready for spring racing is to rely on products that I can trust and that are right for what I need. I need a glowing complexion and shiny, bouncy, spring-racing-worthy hair that looks flawless whether it is pinned, tucked or pony-tailed on race day.

A confident filly, whether she is the crowd favourite, the slow and steady or the last minute dash will rock spring racing, whether her horse wins or not.

What’s your spring racing style?

Scroll through our gallery of spring racing fashion!

No matter what kind of race day filly you are, using the right products everyday will make your life easier on race day! Dove Hair Therapy Intensive Repair Shampoo and Conditioner, is perfect for women looking to inject life into tired, damaged hair. Created with NEW MicroSheet Technology, Dove’s unique formulation works to repair dry, fatigued and damaged hair, leaving your locks well nourished and healthy. The MicroSheet technology means that  the conditioner is more evenly deposited on the hair fibre and as a result during the rinse, when water flows down the hair fibres, the hair bundle swells (when the hair feels slippery), this process forces fibres apart and detangles the hair, leaving it healthy, soft and smooth. The perfect base for any party hairstyle!