Two consecutive days of racing at Chester Racecourse were enjoyed by almost 32,000 racegoers in what turned out to be another two glorious days on the Roodee.

Racegoers enjoyed 14 contests of on-turf action, alongside a variety of raceday activations and plentiful food and drink.

Friday’s highlights saw Rainbow Rebel put on a colourful display, coming from second to open up a margin of one and a half lengths crossing the line, whilst jockey Luke Morris recorded a double win aboard Piedita and Revich.

Gabrial the Devil makes it 10 wins this season for Dr Koukash

Saturday’s feature race was the listed Corbettsports City Stakes. Jockey Tom Marquand came through horses in the straight and maintained his gallop to win the feature by half a length from stable companion Promising, providing trainer Richard Hannon the first two home.

Tom said: “Everything went better than I could image in the race, I was able to drop him in, he’s a legend.” Later in the afternoon in The MBNA Handicap Stakes, a 10-horse contest saw Gabrial the Devil hold off John Kirkup to claim the title and make it 10 wins this season for Dr Marwan Koukash.

Two new Title Sponsors took the helm with Mr Green hosting a Ladies and Gents’ Best Dressed competition on the Friday. Six stylish men and women were awarded premium pamper prizes for their efforts and took home spa day packages for two at the Chester Grosvenor and male grooming vouchers for Gentleman’s Grooming Lounge Suave, respectively.

Hosted by Manchester City presenter Natalie Pike, ambassador for Mr Green, over 150 entries made the judging decision a tough one. Twelve finalists were invited to take part in the winners’ presentation in the Winners Enclosures, where Natalie handed runner-up envelopes to Alastair Taylor, Martin Pugh, Aisling Don and Rachel Thomas.

Joint first position went to Leah Doyle, sporting a blue spotty dress with embroidered flowers and Kevin Doyle in pink suit and eye-catching boots.

Representing Mr Green, country manager Alex Beecham said: “Mr Green was delighted to sponsor Friday evening’s racing and the Best Dressed Competition. It was great to see so many stylish race goers queuing up to enter the contest. Congratulations to all the winners.”

Joint first in the Mr Green Best Dressed competition

Saturday’s Title Sponsor Signature Living utilised the opportunity to engage with thousands and showcase their luxury brand. Offering large groups indulgent amenities in the heart of Liverpool, this city centre accommodation provider provides the ultimate stay for those looking for a unique space from which to enjoy the perfect break.

Lawrence Kenwright of Signature Living commented on the day: “The care and attention that we gained throughout the day was absolutely outstanding, what a wonderful weekend we had.”

Racegoers were treated to live entertainment on the Saturday from Capital Radio and guest presenter Ben Sheppard, who entertained the crowds on the Pavilion Lawn with live DJ sets throughout the afternoon. The Capital Street Stars brought extra enjoyment to Saturday afternoon with their interactive photo wall and four lucky racegoers each won Golden Circle Passes to the Liverpool Fusion Festival in September. Capital will be back with more live entertainment and competition prizes later in the season.

Capital FM DJ Ben Sheppard entertains the crowd from the Southern Comfort roof terrace

Guests Southern Comfort scored a hit with their pop-up bar and racegoers enjoyed beverage varieties from this and the other pop-up bars on offer in the Paddock. Younger racegoers enjoyed all the fun of the Open Course with giant games, face painting, a climbing wall and crafts.

To top off the day’s celebrations, one happy couple even got engaged – Steven Roberts from Birkenhead proposed to his girlfriend Chelsea Prendergast.

The couple met on holiday in Ibiza last year and arranged to meet up again when they returned home. After a whirlwind romance they moved in together just three months later and Steven decided to pop the question at the races last weekend.

He told us: “To say the relationship has been full of surprises is an understatement. But when you know, you know!”

A winning proposal on the Roodee - Steven Roberts from Birkenhead proposed to his girlfriend Chelsea Prendergast

The halfway point in the 2018 calendar of fixtures at Chester has now been reached, but there are still plenty of highlights to come. Highlights include the MBNA Family Funday on Sunday, August 5 and tickets in selected enclosures for this fixture are currently half price. Secure a great offer before the discount expires on Wednesday, July 18.

The next round of racing is on Saturday, July 28 at the Stella Artois Midsummer Meeting. Tickets and hospitality packages for this fixture are already in short supply. Prospective racegoers are encouraged to buy early online at www.chester-races.com or call the Box Office on 01244 304 600.

Later this week, the Roodee hosts a spectacle of a different kind, with a visit from living legend Tom Jones on Thursday, July 19 . There are a limited number of tickets and hospitality packages still available to purchase via the Chester Racecourse website – go online at www.chester-races.com or call the Box Office on 01244 304 600.