Spicy Marg will be supplemented for the Nunthorpe

Spicy Marg to be supplemented for Nunthorpe at York with Harry Bentley booked

By Sporting Life

Horse Racing

Mon August 11, 2025 · 4M ago

Owner Emma Banks is looking forward to the thrill of running star juvenile filly Spicy Marg in the Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes.

The Ebor Festival Group 1 sprint is set to feature at least a couple of two-year-olds this season, with Ger Lyons reportedly set to supplement Lady Iman following her Molecomb Stakes success, and Spicy Marg will also be lining up on the Knavesmire following a high-profile win at the Qatar Goodwood Festival.

The daughter of Starspangledbanner, trained by Michael Bell, bounced back from a lesser Newmarket effort to win the Alice Keppel Fillies' Conditions Stakes in tremendous style and connections feel it is the right thing to do to roll the dice and have a crack at the older horses in the big race at York on Friday week.

Owner Emma Banks said on Monday's Nick Luck Daily Podcast: "You can't win it if you're not in it. I've listened to a lot of people and there are as many people saying do this as saying don't.

"But this is sport, isn't it? And if you don't have a go then you'll never know."

There is hope in Spicy Marg's pedigree too, according to Banks.

She added: "As Michael Bell keeps telling me, her mother won there twice, she liked the track. Stride patterns, speed figures, all of these things. And now of course I'm regretting my decision to say 'no' to the very kind invitation from Coolmore three weeks ago to have lunch with them, because I'm supposed to be on holiday. But I will be coming home early (for the Nunthorpe).

"These moments don't come along very often, which we're all very aware of. As I think Michael said to somebody, I got summoned to the yard after racing at Newmarket on Saturday, which is never a hard summons. I went to see her, she turned her back on me and thought I was very boring, given she could eat her tea instead, and we had a really good chat about it.

"And the upshot is yeah, all the money she's earned we are spending."

On the decision to turn to lightweight jockey Harry Bentley, who has been based in Hong Kong since 2021, having won the 2016 July Cup on Limato, Banks is more than happy with the call: "It is inspired and of course it's nothing to do with me really.

"Harry was at Goodwood when Spicy Marg won the Alice Keppel, Michael bumped into him and Michael said come and have a drink with us. So the conversation developed from there.

"I've known Harry quite a long time, obviously I've had horses with George Scott for quite a while and Harry used to ride quite a lot for George. So he's up there in my book, a lovely guy, a great jockey and no doubt learnt lots of interesting things while he's been in Hong Kong.

"So he has to get final sign-off from the Hong Kong Jockey Club, which I'm told is not going to be too difficult, ideally we'd like him to ride in a couple of races beforehand and just get his eye back in, not that he probably needs to but we'll all feel better about it."

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Banks, who owned Group 1-winning mare Lady Bowthorpe, is also looking forward to a strong end to the campaign with another two-year-old in the shape of Princess Petrol.

The daughter of St Mark's Basilica readily opened her account in an Ascot novice on July 25 before going down fighting behind Dance To The Music in Saturday's Group 3 Newsells Park Stud Sweet Solera Stakes at Newmarket.

The owner said: "I spoke to (trainer) Ed Walker yesterday. While we were hopeful on Saturday, it's not like we were going 'boom, boom, boom, here's the plan'. There's a lot of talk about stepping her up to a mile, she obviously hit the line really well and kept running.

"When you're a two-year-old filly showing ability you want to make the most of that, because there are probably yards full of monster three-year-olds for next year. So while I'm not saying for a minute that she won't train on, you've better a bird in hand."

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