The winners of last week’s Ascot horse races held in the UK are well documented in the press. The losers are those who did not attend our BCCL Ascot ‘Ladies’ Day’ event held at the wonderful Souphattra Hotel in Vientiane on Thursday, 19 June 2025. Those guests who did attend , and in particular those present for the Gold Cup finale, were especially prominent for their vocal support of their chosen horses. A great time was had by all who attended and big thanks go to the Event Sponsors and Event Partners who supported this annual event arranged by the British Business Group in Lao PDR.
The event started with a formal fashion show of summer dresses by NEWFORM by the Ministry of Silk and the colourful broad-brimmed hats and fascinators by Ban Keo Millinery were captivating. Given that beautiful hats are not commonly worn in Laos, the models exemplified the thrill of wearing them for the evening, by taking informal photographs of themselves throughout the event, even though the formalities of the fashion show had long since been completed.
As the evening’s event progressed and guests better understood how to choose a favoured horse in each of four races, the excitement and thrill of cheering on their chosen horse, racing on the big screen live from Ascot, grew more vocal throughout the evening. Prizes donated by Event Partners were in plentiful supply as lucky winners were drawn from the hat after each race.
The event was graced by the attendance of H.E. Mel Barlow, British Ambassador to Laos, and her husband, Mark, who was as enthusiastic as anyone in supporting his selection of horse and rider in each race. The Ambassador addressed the assembly of guests and spoke about the variety of inter-governmental cooperation between Laos and the United Kingdom.
John Cockcroft, Acting Vice Chair of BBGL and Event Manager complete with an Ascot style top hat, stood in as Master of Ceremonies, while Michael Anderson, Chief Education Officer at St Hugh’s College organised the horse racing.
Special thanks go to Seng Xayphrakassa for her organisation of the ‘Ascot Ladies’ Day’ Event and the rest of the working group whose input was invaluable. Additional thanks to Gift Panyathip Khantivong and Aditta Kittikhoun for their help on the evening.
Events Sponsors were:
- Healthfield International School
- Isuzu Lao Services
- BeerLao
- Ministry of Silk
- Panyathip British International School
- Suzuki Laos
More photos available on our Facebook page.