Lili Martindale (right) here with other contestants Nani Richards, Amy Brooker and Courtney Day (left to right), wins Grand Prize in the 2025 Del Mar Opening Day Hats Contest. (Benoit Photo)
Del Mar Press
DEL MAR, Calif.—The 31st annual Opening Day Hats Contest at Del Mar drew more than 150 contestants. Categories included Most Glamorous, Best Fascinator, Best Flowers, and Best Racing/All Others. Contestants competed for more than $5,000 in cash and prizes.
The Grand Prize winner, Lili Martindale of San Diego, competed in the Best Fascinator category. Martindale stunned with her hand-crafted Monet-inspired flower creation. The fascinator synchronized with her floral dress and impressed with the color palette, height, and originality.
Lili wins a two-night stay, two tickets to a theatre show, $500 meal credit & $500 in free play at Yaamava’ Resort & Casino, a one-night stay and meal for two at Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa, as well as a $500 Studio Savvy Salon gift basket and $300 cash.
First place in the “Best Flowers” category is awarded to Courtney Day from Oceanside, California. She calls her outfit “Rosey Gold”. Made with real flowers, this fabulous Barista is arranged with soft pink roses, rose gold with palm fronds, horses, and purple delphiniums.
First place in “Most Glamorous” goes to Nani Richards of Chula Vista. Richards calls her creation, “Soul to Soul,” to honor her dear friend who had recently passed away. The black and white hat is a combination of her friend’s hat as well as her own to create this glamorous ensemble.
And lastly our winner for the “Best Racing / All Others” theme goes to Amy Brooker of Vista. Brooker, a 7 year breast cancer survivor, wore an “icing on the cake” inspired theme. Her creation featured horses, flowers, and butterflies, which are all symbols of hope. Her hat took 60 hours to construct and was made with tiers of colorful pink flowers, a pearl and rhinestone encrusted pony.
