Ladies' Day at Aintree: 7,000 tickets remain unsold but glamorous racegoers still line up to win the fashion stakes

Yearly meeting takes place on the eve of the Grand National

Fashion during Ladies Day at Cheltenham Festival (GETTY IMAGES)

Has Ladies' Day at Aintree become a victim of its own success?

Thousands of tickets remain unsold for today's yearly meeting on the eve of the Grand National, where the Liverpool racecourse undergoes a glamorously boozy make-over, awash with Pimm's, garish hats and bright tans, plus the odd race or two in between the chaos.

It looks like a blast but 7,000 tickets remained unsold for the event, and organisers admitted they were puzzled as to why so many tickets were left. Are the usual pictures of the spectators in risqué clothing and engaging in drunken boisterous behaviour scaring the punters away?

Aintree spokesman Nigel Payne said: "We haven't sold out in all honesty. It's historically a great day for the locals [but] I think money is a lot tighter than it was.

"It has puzzled us. We expected it to have sold out very early on. Two years ago we sold out well in advance, last year we didn't quite sell out and now we have got this."

For once all eyes will not be on the main race of the day, the Topham Chase at 3.40, they will be on the mayhem in the stands.