ATTENDEES at Friday’s Coleraine Cup Day enjoyed a thrilling afternoon of fashion displays, social indulgence and classic country racing.

The return of a crowd for the day’s events after last year’s restrictions made for a buzzing atmosphere as locals and further afield visitors came in droves to witness the enthralling display of a ‘great day out’.

The mood was slightly dampened as the rain came down later in the afternoon, but it could not completely wash away the fun of a return to trackside crowds.

Fashions on the Field was a spectacular success with each category filled with an array of outstanding outfits.

Coleraine Racing Club manager, Elle Guthrie said she was “very happy” with how the event turned out.

“Entrants were extremely well-dressed across all of the categories and very worthy winners,” she said.

She also highlighted the strong numbers of participants.

“Even some of the gents got up – usually that’s a category that we don’t get many entrants into,” she said.

It was a win for sustainable fashion in the women’s category as Merino local, Peta Bell, took out the top prize, with Carly Crouch from Stawell the runner-up.

In the men’s section, James Povey from Coleraine was deemed to have the most stylish race day suit, followed by Hamilton’s Lachlan Price.

There were plenty of local men and women from the Coleraine district donning their best country racing attire, with Isaac Povey and Maddison Kaine sporting the top outfits in the category.

Merino’s Joy Galula came runner-up in the teens’ category behind Stawell’s Ruby Crouch.

The children’s and ‘tiny tots’ categories also drew strong numbers, with Horsham’s Sam Nurse and Melbourne’s Imogen Hayes, the respective winners.

On the track, the main event in the Coleraine Cup was won by Sign of Ussuri, trained by Tony Calvin McEvoy with Madison Lloyd aboard.

The favourite, Adelaide Ace, came not far behind in third.