Then it was off to the racetrack, where the Guinness Village was abuzz with revellers, and spectators flocked to the paddock after each race to see the jubilant jockeys and their plucky horses up close. In the Holland Cooper box, in prime position beside the final fence, eager racegoers sipped on cocktails and watched the action unfold on the track – all faultlessly dressed in Holland Cooper finery, of course.
When it came to the Gold Cup itself, the penultimate race of the day, eight-year-old A Plus Tard was the winner, ridden to a 15-length victory by Rachael Blackmore (the first female jockey to win the prestigious race, after becoming the first to win the Grand National last year).
While the mood was a celebratory one, global events were also in the forefront of people’s minds. A Ukrainian flag fluttered poignantly over the track, and the Jockey Club supported the British Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal throughout the course of the festival, inviting racegoers to donate to the vital cause amid the war in Ukraine.
After a grand day out at the races, Jade Holland Cooper’s chic new restaurant, Yoku, was the hottest ticket in town. The buzzy Japanese-inspired spot has been masterminded by Culinary Director Ronnie Bonetti (previously of Soho House and The River Cafe), and is already a firm favourite with Jade and her husband, Superdry’s Julian Dunkerton’s, glamorous coterie of friends.
