Passion for racing sparked by one filly and one filly only
Deputy manager Alex Banks, 22, tells us why he loves racing
Why do I love racing? One filly, one name and one word. Taghrooda. I adored her – I would stay up until the early hours just watching her races back. Taghrooda, whose name hails from an Arabic folk song, was a Shadwell homebred by Sea The Stars out of Ezima, a broodmare who has produced two winners in her time in Taghrooda and Taqaareed.
I followed her from the first outing, which she won by a neck. She went on to win the Pretty Polly Stakes and from there I became immersed by the world of racing. I went to Epsom and watching this filly go through the gears and win the Oaks as easily as she did, I broke down in tears – something my friends billed #TaghroodaTears.
Soppy I know, but honestly, I don't care. From here, Taghrooda would go on to prove she was one of the best fillies in racing history. She beat Telescope in the King George, and although she was beaten by Tapestry in the Yorkshire Oaks, I wasn't disappointed – she was truly magnificent, a beast.
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