Fashion plate day at Kenilworth

The judges from Glamour fashion team will be looking to one of Hollywood's greatest style icons for inspiration - Audrey Hepburn - and judging criteria will be based on adherence to the colour theme, classical lines and simplicity.

Being run for the 149th time, it is one of the oldest events on the South African horse-racing calendar. Although the country's greatest thoroughbreds are the stars of the day, it is also a highlight on the social calendar with elements of haute couture fashion, vintage cars and fine wine.

Veteran line-up

Extending the blue and white theme will be the traditional displays of 11 veteran, vintage and classic cars from the Franschhoek Motor Museum (FMM), specially selected based on their colour and for the flair and glamour they will bring to the event. They include one of the most aerodynamic cars of its time, a 1953 Bristol 403 once owned by collector Waldie Greyvenstein and a 1911 Lorrain Dietrich, the only one in South Africa, once owned by the Newberry family of Prynnsberg, Clocolan in the Free State, who were wealthy cattle barons in early 1900s. Experts from the museum will be on hand to explain the history of the cars.

It is quite fitting to have this association with cars and horses, says museum curator Wayne Harley. “The car industry has a lot to thank to the horse drawn coach building industry. The terms used even today are still taken from this industry, for example Alfa Spider - ‘spider' being the name given to an early open light sporty type horse buggy - as well as words like headlamp, dashboard, footbrake, handbrake etc all have their roots in the horse drawn industry. “Not forgetting the most important of all - we still talk about horsepower,” he quips. “So by being at the race, we are paying homage to a great animal which helped in forming the car industry today.”

The cars will be trucked from the museum at least two days before the event and collected again the day after. “We have moved so many cars that a move of this size is all in a days work for the FMM team and handled quite easily,” says Harley. “Obviously everything is insured and safety and security is top of the list when the cars are being moved and on display.”

VIP tickets

The race creates an atmosphere of luxury and guests will be accommodated in comfort in a variety of marquees in the Style Lounge Village. An array of gourmet food stalls, totes for placing bets, elegant wines from L'Ormarins and viewing areas for an uninterrupted view of the races will be available. After the last race is run, some of the country's best musicians and DJs will take to the stage to entertain the crowds until late.

In addition, VIP Hospitality has been created to ensure all VIP guests can enjoy the ambiance of the village in the privacy of their own area. The lounges afford a view of the racetrack as well as the village, while the open plan layout allows socialising with likeminded people in a relaxed and comfortable environment. Later, guests can choose to join the crowd and be part of the party or simply view it from the luxury of their VIP facility.

The VIP package includes parking, entrance ticket, unlimited access to the village and VIP areas, entrance to the concert featuring Goldfish, Just Jinjer, Gang Of Instrumentals and Shaun Duvet, bar service and a selection of sushi, canapés and light snacks served throughout the day, as well as many other benefits.

Charity benefits

A portion of the proceeds from the race will be split equally between two charities: Equine Therapy (www.montroseequine.co.za/) and The Cart Horse Protection Association (www.carthorse.org.za/)

For group bookings of 50 or more people, private areas will be allocated with dedicated service staff and the company or group name at the entrance to the private area. Entrance to the village costs R250 and tickets can be booked through Computicket, while the limited VIP packages cost R2280 per person. For more information and bookings contact Elche Goosen tel +27 (0)11 347 1452, cell +27 (0) 82 225 0286 or email . For more information on the race go to www.lqp.co.za.