Queen Elizabeth, according to “The Lady” magazine, sets the dress code for Ascot; Her Majesty says yes to hats and no to cleavage.

But this year even a horse wore a hat, and Ascot’s Ladies Day was marred by an outbreak of fighting in the crowd.

Racegoers enjoying their picnics in the sun

Luckily, our third annual Ladies Day at Amovate, around 1,600 miles from Berkshire, is a touch outside Her Majesty’s purview, but we do say yes to hats…

And with almost 60 people in the grounds of the Old Schoolhouse for Vale da Telha Ladies Day 2011—where admission was free—the afternoon passed peacefully and successfully.

The “racegoers” brought their own picnics—even a barbecue—and enjoyed drinks at possibly the cheapest prices in the area.

At Ascot a horse called Ambers wore an £8,000 feathered design created by top milliner Stephen Jones, who has made hats for Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Johnny Depp, Kate Moss and Erin O’Connor, and his modernist creations frequently sell for thousands of pounds.

At Amovate the parade of hats and frocks, with an independent judge selecting the best of

Ladies' Parade

each finished with the best hat costing not £8,000 from a top milliner—but just €5 from a charity shop in Lagos.

The red, wide-brimmed hat was worn by Amovate member Jucélia de Siqueira Serafim, who bartered the charity shop staff down from €15!

Jucélia de Siqueira Serafim

Jucélia won a bottle of bubbly, as did Sadie Yerderman, visiting from Essex, who won the “Best Dress” prize for her stunning green creation.

Sadie Yerderman

And Nicola Baker, the winner of the final race—a ‘run-off’

Nicola Baker collecting her €50 prize

between the winners of the first six races—collected a cool €50 to round off a superb afternoon, thoroughly enjoyed by everyone who attended – and of course we raised more money for charity.

Have a look below at the Day’s Race Card:

Picnic at the Races

Dice Throwers in action

Race Winner Nicola