On the right racetrack
Hats, horses & Best Buddies at Thrill of Ascot
If you can’t get to Royal Ascot across the pond, the Thrill of Ascot here at home is the next best thing. The finest of fillies were out to support this fundraiser for Best Buddies Canada. Patrons lent the racetrack some gorgeous pops of colour with flirty summer dresses, complemented by over-the-top hats, some designed by the very hands of famous milner Philip Treacy. Woodbine Race Track never looked so good! Community leader Rene Pantalone received the 2015 Best Buddies Canada Leadership Award for all her outstanding efforts. “She sits on the board of directors, co-chaired our annual galas, has helped make Ascot a success,” says Best Buddies Canada founder Danny Greenglass. “She has helped us raise millions and push our mission farther across the
Best Buddies in brown
country — she is awesome!” Over the past eight years, the popular event has raised more than $1 million to support the one-to-one friendship program for people with intellectual disabilities. Honourary Chair Bernadette Morra knows firsthand how meaningful these relationships can be, having seen it with her own son. “Best Buddies Canada facilitates friendships for people who have very few, and in many cases no friends, because of their intellectual disabilities,” says Morra. “If you imagine your own life without friends, you will understand how lonely life can be for someone with intellectual disabilities.” Hold on to your hats, because next year’s Thrill of Ascot promises to be better than ever. The gentlemen were not the only ones starting their engines at this year’s Grand Prix in Montreal. Stunning femmes-fatales came out in force for the Hampton’s themed Grand-Prix party at the Ritz-Carlton, with a special guest appearance by David Coulthard, the 13-time Formula One Grand Prix winner and Red Bull ambassador. The must-do annual event took place in the glamorous Palm Court, Oval Room and Oval Terrace, all under the careful watch of hotelier Andrew Torriani. A river of bubbles flowed from the Moët & Chandon champagne bar; and tantalizing food stations kept guests satiated, all prepared under the watchful eye of Ritz-Carlton Montreal’s Executive Chef, Johnny Porte. Celebrity DJ YO-C spun some most excellent tunes, which kept those engines revving well into the wee hours.
Grand Prix red