Spicy Marg

The frustration, though, runs deeper for jockey Kieran Shoemark, who has ridden her twice and won on both occasions—a 40 percent win rate together that sits well above her overall record of 3 wins from 13 races. Shoemark saw the filly she was capable of being. She believed her homework—her work on the gallops—was always exceptional. But circumstances kept intervening. When she finally got her back out at Goodwood in late July, everything aligned. She showed the horse she had hoped for: the filly that had impressed her from the start. Ground conditions matter to her too. Spicy Marg has won two of her three races on normal, standard going—a 67 percent win rate that suggests she performs best on ground that is neither too wet nor too firm. A year on from her last win, she remains fundamentally capable, though recent form suggests the margin between her ceiling and where she is now has widened.