Partner with Virgin Betting

Virgin Bet is celebrating women in motorsport with the inaugural Women's Day at Ayr Racecourse.

The event, held at Ayr Races on 9 March, serves as a day of celebration to highlight that racing is welcoming and open to all.

Hosted by Scottish star Natalie Pike, the event featured two insightful panel discussions aimed at introducing horse racing fans to some of the women who have made an incredible contribution to the sport.

The first panel is the Women of Racing Legends panel, made up of Scottish Racing chief executive Delly Innes and respected trainer Harriet Graham.

Next up was the Horse Racing Creative Inclusion Panel, featuring jockey Charlotte Jones and WalkSafe CEO and founder Emma Kay.

Pike served as host throughout the day and said she “loved” being a part of the project.

She said: “I’m delighted to be working with Virgin Bet and the team at Ayr Racecourse to create this project and hope it will inspire the next generation of amazing women working in horse racing. Sport is for everyone and events such as this are vital to ensuring women in the sport Inclusion and safety are vital and ultimately allow the great people who play our sport to become heroes.”

Virgin Bet is hosting the event in partnership with WalkSafe, an app designed to promote safer journeys. Throughout the day, Virgin Bet highlighted the app’s capabilities to give female participants peace of mind when traveling to and from the racecourse.

Meanwhile, Sandra McCall, chief executive of Ayrshire Cancer Support, was invited to attend the day as guest of honor in recognition of all the work and support she does locally. Ayr Racecourse has long supported the charity's work and Virgin Bet has donated £1,000 to the charity as part of its race day sponsorship.

Of course, a day at the races is always an opportunity to dress up, and there are prizes for the brightest groom of the day.

Virgin Bet is giving women in attendance the chance to pick a Best of Show (BTO) winner before each game, with the winning groom receiving £50. The BTO winner of each competition will be entered into a draw to win a £200 gift voucher.

In the third race of the day, the Virgin Bet Daily Extra Places Handicap Chase, panellist Helen Shaw drew her name from the hat and had the honor of selecting a BTO winner and presenting the trophy to Race winning horse owners and trainers.

The day proved to be the perfect platform to celebrate women in horse racing and remind everyone that horse racing is a sport for all.

For more information, please visit https://www.virginbet.com/. 18+. Bet responsibly. www.begambleaware.org.