Stylish Athlone businesswoman Marese Ward-Shine was the judge’s clear favourite at the Kilbeggan Races on Saturday, taking home the Littlewoods Ireland award for Best Dressed Lady at the Westmeath event.
Marese, who owns her own interior and baby store, The Arcade, wore a stunning pale pink outfit purchased down the road from her business in Kadee Boutique on Pearse Street.
Marese was picked from 15 fabulous finalists all who enjoyed a Jacobs Creek Sparkling rosé reception during the judging. As Best Dressed Lady, Marese won a €2,000 shopping spree with Littlewoods Ireland.
Commenting following her win, she said: “I had a wonderful day on Saturday and was so thrilled to win - I was speechless. It’s not always easy to get to the races with work and the children but I am so glad we made it. I only finished work at 4 o’clock and it was a quick change to get there. Kilbeggan is a wonderful family-friendly course and there was such a great atmosphere at the track. Sybil and the representatives from Littlewoods Ireland were so lovely and pleasant. I’m just delighted.”
Judge on the day, popular TV3 presenter Sybil Mulcahy, revealed she was looking for an overall top-to-toe look.
“It was a tough decision but I picked Marese as the winner as I felt every element of her outfit was just perfectly put together. It was a pleasure to judge the Best Dressed Lady at Kilbeggan. It was a fantastic evening, the weather was perfect, and there was a great atmosphere and crowd. There was lots of style on show and it was difficult to pick only 15 finalists. I love how lots of the ladies created gorgeous outfits by mixing high end and high street.”
Manager of Kilbeggan Racecourse, Paddy Dunican, said: “We are thrilled and delighted with the huge attendance at the course on Saturday; we had close to 6,000 people on the day. We enjoyed some super racing and great finishes. We were also overwhelmed by the huge number of ladies who made such an effort for the Littlewoods Ireland Best Dressed Lady and my congratulations to Marese – a worthy winner.”
The 15 finalists in Kilbeggan last Saturday were: Marese Ward-Shine, Athlone; Maria Osbourne, Kildare; Fiona Gilfoyle, Westmeath; Phil Fox, Athlone; Yvonne Skelly; Faith Amond, Carlow; Dearbhladh Walsh, Portarlington; Kate Dolan, Mullingar; Thomasina Connell, Laois; Angela McKnight, Westmeath; Melissa McNeill Martin; Niamh Connelly, Ballinagore; Margaret Connelly, Mullingar; Andrea Breslin; and Caolinn Taylor, Rathfarnham, Dublin.
