Rory Hutchings on Soriano wins the Zabeel Classic. Photo / Nick Reed
The Group II $100,000 Cambridge Stud Eight Carat Classic went to the Savabeel filly Saavoya, a $32 outsider. She was ridden by Craig Grylls.
And the $50,000 Hallmark Stud was won by Natuzzi, ridden by Chris Johnson.
Far from the foaming horses, discarded plastic wine glasses, RTDs and hot dogs was the Nicolas Feuillatte Fashions in the Field contest, characterised by suits, sunglasses, outlandish headpieces and bold floral prints.
The overall winner and winner of the Natalie Chan Millinery category, dietician Charlotte Moor, 25, said she had crafted her off-the-shoulder dress from vintage fabric with the help of her mother, Ali, a milliner who also made her fascinator.
Overall fashion winner Charlotte Moor, 25, used vintage fabric in her dress. Her mother made her fascinator. Photo / Nick Reed
The touch of turquoise in the headpiece was referenced with a turquoise necklace and shoes.
"She found some fantastic fabric on eBay and then it was a bit of a joint effort trying to figure out what the dress was going to look like and what we could do for the hat to match it."
Ms Moor said she would be sharing her $30,000 prize package, including a trip to Queenstown, with her mother.
The event was judged by stylist Lulu Wilcox, Australian model Becky Lamb and The Crowd Goes Wild presenter Hayley Holt, who said she enjoyed her first foray into fashion judging.
"I think it's a lot of fun, you can just really go outrageous with it. I mean, who's going to be wearing these crazy things on their heads every day, it's great."
The winner of the Canvas Ladies Racewear category - open to women aged 25 to 44 - was Claire Hahn, 33, who said her son had chosen her bold red ankle-length skirt, which she coupled with a sleeveless dark blue top she had made for the day.
Mrs Hahn completed her raceday outfit with an Alexander McQueen bag, a Christmas gift from her husband, and a hat she crafted herself.
It was Mrs Hahn's second fashion in the field win, having taken out the younger age category "eight years and three kids" ago.
Winner of the Ellerslie Under 25 category, Eleanor Campbell, 19, came to the races from Hamilton wearing a blue floral Chi Chi London dress her grandmother had altered. White lace gloves and a teal Monika Neuhauser fascinator completed the look.
She shared the runway with her grandmother, Val Harman, who was also a finalist in the Specsavers Ascot Lady category - open to women 45 years and over.
"We're all a bit keen on fashion," Ms Harman said. "We've got a lot of ideas from Ellie's mother - she was last year's supreme winner."
Ms Harman said she made her own dress, white with a bold floral print. "It started off as two dresses so I created it into something that was more appropriate for my age."
Their race day preparations had taken the shine off Christmas, she said. "I was still sewing this morning and I thought I couldn't eat anything yesterday at Christmas dinner."
The Boxing Day Races are the first event of the New Zealand Herald Christmas Carnival, followed by Summer Raceday tomorrow and the New Year's Day Races.
Fashion winners
Ellerslie Under 25:
Eleanor Campbell
Canvas Ladies Racewear: Claire Hahn
Specsavers Ascot Lady: Collette Gordon
Natalie Chan Millinery: Charlotte Moor
Sharp Menswear: Clinton Pinto
Nicolas Feuillatte Supreme Award Winner: Charlotte Moor
Racing events a boost for Ronald McDonald House
Emily Prince has dad Craig, mum Jo and her siblings with her at Ronald McDonald House while she is treated at the Starship. Photo / Nick Reed
If it weren't for Ronald McDonald House, things would be a lot more difficult for the Prince family of six.
At the end of September, the Upper Hutt family moved to the Auckland facility so daughter Emily, 7, could be treated at the Starship hospital for myelodysplasia - a type of cancer which means her bone marrow does not make enough healthy blood cells.
Ronald McDonald House, which has two properties in Auckland, one in Wellington and one in Christchurch, plans to expand, building extra bedrooms in one of the Auckland complexes.
With the help of the Auckland Racing Club, the charity hopes to raise $80,000 and volunteers will be at Ellerslie Racecourse during the racing season to take donations.
Adding a new room will be a big help for families like the Princes.
"Having the house behind us, in so many different ways, has made our journey so much easier," said Emily's father, Craig.
After Emily's cancer was diagnosed in September, the entire family - mum Jo, Craig, Benjamin, 13, Cameron, 11, and Emily's twin, Hannah - moved to Auckland so she could be treated at the Starship.
After their 12-hour trip north, they were met by Ronald McDonald House staff, who had dinner waiting and helped them to unpack the car.
"[The house, the families and the staff] quickly became our community," Mr Prince said.
"Our family has grown and we feel so comfortable."
They would never be able to afford to stay in Auckland without the Ronald McDonald charity's help, and would have had to look at alternative options such as selling their home or car to help pay for accommodation while Emily received treatment.
At the house, the kids go to an on-site school, help to look after the vege garden and attend events such as netball and basketball games.
"We were all able to stay under one roof and keep our family together so we can support each other through this difficult time."
Donations can also be made at this Ronald McDonald House page: tinyurl.com/rmhdonation
