Southern California

Breeders' Cup: Fancy Hat Fun

Have a chapeau that'll wow 'em? Don it before your date with the ponies.

If you were under the impression that the first Saturday in May was the only time of year when a fancy, over-the-top, flower-laden hat was the order of the day, well, then, get to know November's big horsey happenings.

There are a few prominent mane — er, main — events around Southern California when the holidays begin to roll into town, with The Bing Crosby Season at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club landing around the middle of November and the much-lauded, oh-so-tony Breeders' Cup galloping into Santa Anita Park over the first weekend in November.

The first weekend in November is nigh, and while it is a good half year away from the Kentucky Derby (the iconic event that happens to fall on May's first Saturday), it still has a major component found at all the fancy pony parties: nice hats.

So prepare to chapeau-it-up on Friday, Nov. 4 if you yourself are trotting for the Arcadia extravaganza of horse showmanship, haute soirees, and some truly swanky scene-setting. 

Will your hat be big-of-brim? Will it look like a saddle or perhaps a jockey's uniform, at least in hue and overall shininess? Will you go with something that suits the autumn instead of the springtime, with some apples or grapes circling the crown?

The sky is the limit, or, rather, your head. But don't dally: The Breeders' Cup runs on Friday, Nov. 4 and Saturday, Nov. 5 at the historic track. For all of your fashion tips, from head wear to suits to frocks and beyond, best call upon the spectacular's official Fashion page (oh, you bet, there is one).

Temperatures won't be cold, nor especially toasty. Not unlike the Kentucky Derby on that first Saturday in May, now that we think of it, so gussy up accordingly, pony people.

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