Grand National revellers spend £4m on dressing up to the nines as race festival returns

dailystar.co.uk:

Grand National after a two-year haitus, according to new research.GrandNational.org.uk found that 28% of punters said they’d purchase a new suit or frock for the occasion, with over a third of those planning to never wear the outfit again.With an average cost of £190 per outfit, that means there will be up to £3.72million of new clothing on display at Aintree.A record 40,000-strong opening day crowd yesterday, April 7, was swelled by 10,000 HNS heroes specially invited by The Jockey Club as a thank you’for their efforts in combating Covid-19.The 2020 Grand National was axed completely due to the virus and last year’s (2021) was run behind-closed-doors with betting shops shut nationwide.Fans were able to unleash their frustrations yesterday as they embarked on a three-day racing fest at which they are expected to sup 300,000 pints, 8,000 bottles of champagne and 25,000 cocktails.And while they also splashed out on their outfits, some people decided to shed layers instead of acquire them.In 2011 two ladies decided they would make a name for themselves by stripping and sprinting.In doing so, Gemma Porter and Louise van Marle brought Aintree to a standstill.

The friends from Fazakerley frolicked down the final furlong while topless, much to the amusement of the crowd watching on from the sidelines.They were eventually stopped and taken away by police, and were each slapped with a £80 fine for their stunt.

But that didn't seem to make them regretful about their decision – they later boasted about their cheeky antics."We weren't nervous, it was more like excitement," 29-year-old Porter told the Liverpool ECHO. To stay up to date with all the latest news, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here.And her 21-year-old.