A retired cattle buyer from Co. Carlow will be jetting off to Dubai after being named the best dressed at the Irish Derby, which was held at the Curragh yesterday (Sunday, June 30).
Liz Maher from Bagenalstown caught the eye of the head judge Dubliner Lisa Hogan from the hit TV show Clarkson’s Farm to claim the “Dubai Duty Free Most Stylish” crown.
Liz wore a headpiece made by Caitriona King Millinery with a white suit from Julie Caulfield in Kilmore Quay in Wexford.
The outfit was completed by a handbag shoes and jewellery from her own collection which she has gathered over the years.
Along with the “Most Stylish” title, Liz was presented with an array of prizes including return flights for two to Dubai with five nights in Dubai Duty Free’s own five-star hotel, The Jumeirah Creekside.
She will also have €1,000 to spend at the airport retailer ahead of her holiday.
Racegoers at the Co. Kildare track embraced the “dress to feel your best” theme for this year’s competition.
Lisa Hogan was joined on the judges’ panel by fashion writer Bairbre Power, Alpana Cidambi and Breeda McLoughlin who represented the sponsor, and stylist Marietta Doran to seek out the spectators who they felt best captured this year’s fashion trends.
Ruth Norton, marketing manager for the Curragh Racecourse said that everyone “put their best foot forward in the fashion stakes” this year.
“The winners we selected not only exhibited style but also let their personalities shine through in the outfits they chose, which is what the theme of ‘dress to feel your best’ is all about!” she said.
The Curragh
Large crowds descended onto a sunny Curragh Racecourse for the biggest day of the year in the Irish racing calendar.
On the actual course itself the highlight of the day was the biggest classic race of the year the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby which was won by Los Angeles.
The horse came third in the English Derby at Epsom a month ago, but showed big improvement since to take Irish racing’s biggest and most prestigious prize.
“The horse is trained by the maestro trainer Aidan O’Brien in Ballydoyle just outside Cashel in Co. Tipperary,” Norton said.