FASHION | Our 2022 Grand Finalists are...

It’s been a long season for racing clubs, sponsors and fashionistas alike with cancelled racedays, postponed racedays, limited-crowd racedays, ongoing regional border closures, delayed shipping, reshuffled fashions in the field competitions, cancelled fashions in the field competitions, limited-crowd fashions in the field competitions and even virtual fashions in the field competitions.

So, to have finally made it to the long-awaited national fashions in the field final, The Ned Prix de Fashion (which has again moved online due to restrictions around attendance for Vodafone Derby Day 2022 thanks to COVID-19), is feat in itself.

This year’s competition line-up features 13 regional finalists from around the country who have each won a qualifying competition held at racedays (or virtually) over spring / summer.

These qualifying competitions were held as far south as Invercargill and as north as Auckland, with several virtual qualifier competitions held meaning entries could open up to entrants living anywhere in New Zealand who could enter from their front lawns if they so wished.

Our panel of six judges from New Zealand and Australia then had the unenviable task of narrowing the field down to five grand finalists. However, due to the scoring format of the competition, we found ourselves with a tie so we are excited to announce that this season we have not five, but SIX grand finalists.

Today we are pleased to announce who those Grand Finalists are (listed in alphabetical order by last name):

Each of these six women remain in the running to be named ‘Supreme Winner’ and take home the winner-takes-all $20,000 prize package from The Ned and Victoria Racing Club – plus the coveted title of being New Zealand racewear’s national titleholder for the 2021/22 season.

What next?

Our sincere thanks to our judges for freely providing us their time and expertise:

And a heartfelt congratulations to all the regional finalists – the judges commented on how high the standard was and how much they agonised over their selections.