Glamorous racegoers don floral frocks and statement hats for Derby Day at the Epsom Festival

Racegoers were snapped putting their best style foot forward as they arrived at Epsom Racecourse this morning for Derby Day.

Weather for the second (and final) day of the Epsom Derby was set to be warm, with temperatures hitting 21C, and dry.

And attendees certainly seemed to be making the most of the balmy Spring temperatures, donning seasonally-appropriate frocks and hats.  

As the earliest racegoers arrived, it appeared that floral prints were the flavour of the day, in a range of shades from pastels to black.

And many chose to top their outfits with hats or fascinators, with multiple attendees opting for wide-brimmed hats with floral cockades. 

Floral prints appeared to be the order of the day for racegoers at Epsom today. This attendee opted for a black and red ensemble decorated with flowers   

Spring florals: Meanwhile, others opted for florals in more traditional colour palettes, including pastels

Block colours were also seen being worn by some, with these racegoers donning navy blue frocks, pairing them with neutral heels

Another attendee opted for a monochrome dress in bold red, pairing it with a small matching fascinator and gold heels

Spring dressing: this midi dress in white, with a floral print in colours including pink and orange, was a good choice for the 21C temperatures 

The two-day event has not been without controversy, with animal advocates saying they would protest the event to highlight the number of horses who are killed annually within the racing industry.

Animal rights group Animal Rising had been planning to protest against today’s event, and has been given a space outside the venue to do so.

The Jockey Club was last week granted a High Court injunction against the group, because it felt the group had made it ‘explicitly clear’ it intends to breach security at the Surrey racecourse.

Speaking ahead of the event during a Sky News debate, animal advocate Claudia Penna Rojas said: ‘I’m prepared to do what’s necessary to do what’s right by these animals and try and prevent them from being harmed.’

Pressed on whether that meant resorting to breaking the law, she added: ‘If it means breaking the law, we know that law isn’t always equal to morality and we know that people have had to break laws throughout history to create the change that we need.

‘And, again, what this is about is protecting these animals. 

‘It’s about trying to create the change that we need to see where we don’t see animals as property, where we don’t see them as objects that are used for our entertainment and value them and care for them as the beings that they are.’

Nevin Truesdale, chief executive at The Jockey Club, also appeared as part of the debate, insisting it has ‘never been safer’ for horses.

Fashion forward: One attendee was stunning in a pale green frock with yellow floral print. The statement dress boasted a high neck and full sleeves

Hats the one: The focus of this attendee’s outfit was her hat, which was shaped like a large flower, and boasted feather details

Other racegoers were snapped shielding their eyes from the glare of the sun, donning sunglasses under their wide brimmed hats 

Addressing the protests, he said: ‘That’s for the police and the courts to decide and the court says where we will end up because there is an injunction in place, they will be in contempt of court and therefore it is illegal.’ 

He added: ‘We love these equine athletes, these superstars who get fantastic care behind the scenes. 99.8 per cent of horses come back from their races perfectly safe and sound.

‘As an industry, we’ve spent £40 million on welfare over the last 20 years.’

Claudia addressed concerns that protestors will run in front of live races, saying this will not be the case.

She explained: ‘Their welfare, the welfare of the jockeys, the welfare of the people there is absolutely our priority.’