Cheltenham Festival 2016: Just when you thought you’d seen it all, here’s AP McCoy and a horse in matching Harris Tweed suits
Deciding what to wear at at the races can be a social minefield, even for the horses.
To help the equine elite descending on Cheltenham this week, Emma Sandham-King, a former apprentice at Alexander McQueen, has designed the world’s first Harris Tweed suit specifically for a race horse.
The new equestrian fashion range, modelled by veteran race horse Morestead, features a three-piece suit complete with shirt, tie and flat cap. AP McCoy, also known as Sir Anthony McCoy, a two-time Cheltenham Gold Cup champion, was pictured getting into the spirit of the annual festival whilst riding Morestead.
The horse outfit was specially commissioned by bookmaker William Hill, to coincide with the firm's discovery that around 200 miles of tweed is worn at the racecourse every year.
Findings also revealed that the most popular tweed item amongst males was a tweed jacket with one in three men selecting it as their festival attire. The most popular tweed item amongst women was a tweed coat with 28 per cent of ladies wearing one.
With tweed back in style and gracing the catwalks at Paris, New York and London's Fashion Weeks this year, the bookmaker reckons that the landed gentry wardrobe staple will be worn more than ever before at this week's races.