Ladies are saddling up for the races

While there will be plenty of thoroughbred fillies and stallions strutting their stuff at Flemington this Thursday, the horses on the track will be feeling positively neglected. Most punters at the Crown Oaks Day would be hard pressed to name the horses in the running, but all could provide an expert ‘form guide’ for the range of prospective suitors on display.

Oaks Day began in 1861 and its reputation as the ‘Ladies’ Day’ of the Spring Racing Carnival was cemented in 1962 when the Victorian Racing Club introduced the now world-famous ‘Fashions on the field’. It was only a matter of time before the record numbers of ladies in attendance also attracted record numbers of men; it’s no coincidence that the event is now known colloquially as ‘Blokes Day’.

In this age of facebook, myspace and virtual everything, Oaks Day is one of the few public events where young women can still inspect an array of stallions in the flesh. Carly, 23, of North Carlton says of her Oaks Day plans; “This is my third year at the races and I am yet to see a single horse; single men, on the other hand, are a different story!”

With the pressure on for eligible fillies to look fabulous, Oaks Day preparation has taken on a life of its own. Beauty industry providers concur, with Brazilian Butterfly waxing salon spokesperson Tanya Farrar saying, “With all the spray tanning and Brazilian waxing happening at Brazilian Butterfly before the Spring Racing carnival, things are getting racier off the track than on the track these days.”

Preparation for the day should also extend beyond beauty routines says Jill Michelson, of Marie Stopes International, Australia’s leading sexual and reproductive healthcare provider. “In 2006, there were nearly 10,000 Chlamydia notifications in Victoria, and unfortunately statistics show that we are on track for a record year. A pack of condoms should be the ultimate Oaks Day fashion accessory.”

The fashion-conscious punter will be carrying a tin of Vixen Condoms along with her hat, says Vixen Condoms spokesperson Alice Clements. “We designed Vixen with stylish, outgoing young women in mind - the women who head to Oaks Day in other words. Vixen Condoms come in a discrete and gorgeous tin that can be slipped into your handbag - perfect for a day at the races ... and whatever comes after!”

Vixen Condoms is a joint initiative by women’s health charity Marie Stopes International Australia and Australian feminine hygiene company Cottons. Oaks Day punters can feel good all over knowing that $1 from every pack of Vixen condoms sold is donated to the Marie Stopes Sex Appeal - to improve the health of women and their families in developing countries and Indigenous Australia.

Visit www.vixencondoms.com  for more information.

Purchase online from adultshop.com.au. Delivered discretely to any location or pop into your nearest Brazilian Butterfly salon.