Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes |
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| Group 2, Newmarket 14:25 £100,000 guaranteed, 2yo Fillies only, 6f, Class 1  |
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The fillies take centre stage as six juveniles line up with big reputations—and bigger ambitions.
Top of the market is likely to be Venetian Sun, unbeaten in two for Karl Burke and looking to extend her ascent after landing the Albany Stakes at Ascot with authority.
VENETIAN SUN WINS THE ALBANY STAKES! #ROYALASCOT pic.twitter.com/SGr3CzUPNC
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) June 20, 2025
Argentine Tango (Tim Easterby) and Mood Queen (Richard Hughes) bring proven course-and-distance form to the party.
Michael Bell is confident Spicy Marg can leave her Royal Ascot disappointment behind her.
The daughter of Starspangledbanner turned heads with an authoritative debut win on the Rowley Mile, drawing clear by nearly three lengths and shaping like a filly firmly on the upgrade. That performance earned her a tilt at Group Two company in the Queen Mary, but things didn’t quite fall her way.
Bell, though, feels the below-par showing can be forgiven—pointing to her being in season on the day, and the signs she’s shown since suggest she’s very much back on song.
“She’s trained well since Ascot,” he said. “There were one or two mitigating circumstances there, so we’re hopeful she can show her true colours this time.”
“She came back in season, which isn’t always a clear-cut excuse, but in my experience most horses do tend to underperform when that happens. She was carrying her tail high after the race, so we’re clinging to that as an explanation—we still think she’s a very nice filly.”
There are crumbs of encouragement in the formbook too. Staya, who finished fifth at Ascot, has since franked the race. And while Spicy Marg found herself isolated and committed too early, Bell believes the raw ability is still very much there.
“A kind draw would help,” he added. “Ideally, something to follow down the middle, then it’s up to her. She certainly shows enough zip at home—you could say she enjoys putting on a bit of a show.”
Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes
(Formerly The Cherry Hinton Stakes) (Fillies' Group 2)
£100,000 guaranteed, 2yo only, 6f, Class 1
6 runners
Going: Good to Firm, Good in places
NO. (DRAW) FORM HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY
1 (6) 21211 Argentine Tango 2 9-2 Tim Easterby David Allan
2 (4) 21 Mood Queen 2 9-2 Richard Hughes Ryan Moore
3 (1) 1 Royal Fixation 2 9-2 Ed Walker William Buick
4 (2) 36 Shine On Me 2 9-2 Archie Watson James Doyle
5 (3) 10 Spicy Marg 2 9-2 Michael Bell Kieran Shoemark
6 (5) 11 Venetian Sun 2 9-2 K R Burke Clifford Lee
