[ABOVE, HEADS UP: Image consultant Audrey Quek (left) and magazine managing director Catherine Ng (right) turning heads at the track.]

It was the Big Sunday last week for the airline Emirates – its 15th Singapore Derby was on at the Turf Club in the afternoon, and later, in the early hours of the morning, the Fifa World Cup 2010 finals, for which it is the official airline.

Said Mr Nick Rees, its manager for Singapore/Brunei: “Emirates is committed to sponsoring world-class events.”

The annual horseracing fixture of runaway glamour and galloping fun is the best derby day here, combining 12 races (Race Ahead won the high-stakes purse of $1.15m), and 10 times that many flutters to make a small fortune.

[LEFT, FOX IN A HAT?: Jaylian See wearing a Roberto Cavalli dress.]

Also, we had the opening cocktails, a best-dressed contest, a chance to do your bit for charity, and lunch and tea.

A frilly frothy table of hats were bowed towards their bowls of steaming tom yum soup and only looked up, peering through fine coloured feathers, when we asked for a picture.

“Oh, we are guests of Dr K C Tan, all our hats are from Emily, we're really just here for the food and wine.”

Emily (Yong) obviously saved the best from her millinery collection for herself, she won the top prize for best-dressed to the races. “Oh, I have quite a collection. I buy from Australia. Here, I even have them made.”

Many of the hatted ladies at the derby chimed “Australia!” when asked about their on-track headdress. One or two local fashion houses do make made-to-measure, to match the outfit, like Audrey’s (Quek) pinned and tucked for her by designer Heng Nam Nam.

[RIGHT: Scandinavian Hannah Bengtsson now based in Singapore.]

Although headwear is not de rigueur at the races, it is the one annual opportunity to don one. “It’s lovely to see women making the effort," said a Singapore Turf Club regular.

In deference to Netherlands versus Spain, parrot paella and octopus with orange sauce were not on the menus.

Wanna bet?

What a quandary. How much to bet on Waikato and Express Eclair and how much to put aside for Viva Espana (Spain, not racehorse).

The guy I christened Anti-Mani was of no great help: He offered tips on three horses out of nine. I mean, what kind of probability hopes are those?

Best never to ask for tips, people don’t care to share any; say, any tips on how to remove red wine stains on white shirts? (Use white wine.)

Hey, I didn’t get the number of the horse that man bet on, but he placed $1,000 on it. You think I can go back and ask the teller?

The MC, Daniel Chua, a nice good-looking dude who’s had this gig for the last few years, said his friend, an analyst, advises against betting willy-nilly, but to just go in for the kill with a sure-thing in a single race.

[LEFT, PICTURE PERFECT: The shoot horses, don't they?]

His tip came in, I’d placed $5 and won $6. The cashier was motherly: “Next time, when you see ‘place’ is $5, don’t bet.”

With odds like these, its a better bet to concentrate on the food and drink and hats.

The Emirates Singapore Derby is a bold-pencilled date on the horse-racing calendar, and close to 500 guests anticipate the invite which comes direct from Dubai where the airline is based.

And then they’re off! For a grand afternoon in the committee rooms and boxes in the Singapore Turf Club.

But first, to the shirtmaker and the clothes-designer and the milliner’s (which, by the way, is derived from the city of Milan, mecca of fashion since the 16th C).

Many of the guests look forward to this event for the occasion to sport hats, you’d have to be sporting to wear a couple of the confections on your head.

Judges mill about to pick the 10 best-dressed to the races, while guests buy pick and win coupons (predict winning horse in race), and proceeds go to several welfare organisations under the Community Chest.

Together with donation tables sold, the airline raised $100,000 on its derby’s 15th birthday for the less fortunate Singaporeans.

It’s a delight and a sight for sore eyes: Women frocked in derby best topped by feathers and fur and trims and wide brims and ribbons and sequins.

And this year, for a change, three men actually joined six women in the best-dressed line-up. The tenth lady was Miss Emily Yong overall winner (pair of business class seats on Emirates to its Melbourne Derby later in the year).

One of our favourites who didn’t make the top 10 list was Catherine Ng, a magazine managing director, in her very creative and imaginative mix and match of tartan. You’re a winner in our books, Cat.

This article was first published in The New Paper.