Racegoers left Golden Eagle Day in torrential downpours, but most excitable punters refused to let the wild weather spoil the festivities.
Mud, soggy clothes and face masks were all features of the race day, held at Rosehill Gardens race course in Sydney’s west, on Saturday.
Women who wore heels risked a fall, while others whipped their shoes off and stood in the mud or soaked concrete.
Some begged friends for rides on their backs so they could avoid taking a tumble on the slippy paths.
Others took it as an opportunity to show off and do pushups in the pouring rain, with one enthusiastic punter doing so while being COVID safe and wearing a face mask.
Racegoers have been forced to leave Golden Eagle Day early as torrential downpour threatens to spoil the festivities
Mud, soggy clothes and face masks were all features of the race day, held at Rosehill Gardens race course in Sydney’s west, on Saturday
Some begged friends for rides on their backs so they could avoid other options of walking in the mud and getting their feet dirty
Others took it as an opportunity to show off and do pushups in the pouring rain, while being COVID safe and wearing a face mask
One friend helped a woman in white take off her extremely tall high heels off in the grass away from passersby.
Eventually the woman, who was wearing stockings, was able to get her dirty shoe off – but sadly landed in the mud.
She tried to clean her crisp, white shoe off but appeared to decided the repeated upkeep wasn’t worth the effort.
The woman and her companion then walked off arm-in-arm, but bystanders could see the bottom of the woman’s stockings were blackened with mud.
Golden Eagle Day is the race course’s most prestigious event, which sees jockeys and horses sprint a 1500m distance.
It’s the country’s third richest race, after Everest and Melbourne Cup, with a prize of $7.5million and $750,000 donated to a charity of the winning owner’s choice.
One friend helped a woman in white take off her extremely tall high heels off in the grass away from passersby
Eventually the woman, who was wearing stockings, was able to get her dirty shoe off – but sadly landed in the mud
She tried to clean her crisp, white shoe off but appeared to decided the repeated upkeep wasn’t worth the effort
The woman and her companion then walked off arm-in-arm, but bystanders could see the bottom of the woman’s stockings were blackened with mud
Only four-year-old horses are allowed the enter this race, as many trainers believe that is when a horse peaks.
This year looked a little different compared to other years due to COVID-safe restrictions banning people from drinking alcohol while standing up or dancing.
Social distancing was enforced with spacing between tables and a capacity on how many people could enter the event.
Before the rain and mud: A woman in a crisp all-white ensemble beams when she leaves the race before taking her shoes off to continue her trip home
Bad weather and COVID-safe rules didn’t appear to dampen the spirits of punters at all, with many smiling faces during the day
Many were forced to rethink their outfits for the occasion, with many women ditching their sandal heels for bare feet and their gorgeous ensembles for rain ponchos
Bad weather and COVID-safe rules didn’t appear to dampen the spirits of punters at all, with many smiling faces during the day.
Many were forced to rethink their outfits for the occasion, with many women ditching their sandal heels for bare feet and their gorgeous ensembles for rain ponchos.
Others simply became fed up with the day of fun and took a seat in the car park to recharge their batteries.
Others simply became fed up with the day of fun and took a seat in the car park to recharge their batteries
One woman, surrounded by her friends, was cuddled into another pal as the group planned their exit from the event
Time to go: Punters left the race course in happy spirits despite the poor weather at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday
One woman, surrounded by her friends, was cuddled into another pal as the group planned their exit from the event.
Despite weeks of planning their perfect outfit, some women opted to keep dry over being stylish with one woman popping a men’s jacket over her clothes.
One woman eager not to get her feet muddy or fall in her heels asked a male companion to carry her on his back.
One woman eager not to get her feet muddy or fall in her heels asked a male companion to carry her on his back
Despite weeks of planning their perfect outfit, some women opted to keep dry over being stylish with one woman popping a men’s jacket over her clothes
Strike a pose! One woman blew a kiss to the cameras as she made her way from the prestigious racing event on Saturday
