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Hayley Turner and Bahamian Babe win the Marygate Stakes

Bahamian Babe showed bags of toe and a battling attitude to maintain her unbeaten record in the Langleys Solicitors EBF Marygate Stakes at York.

Sent off at 6-1 for the Listed contest, the mount of Hayley Turner was always to the fore in the five-furlong dash and took the lead outright at around the distance marker.

She was strongly pressed by Langs Lash and the fast-finishing Aspen Darlin close home, but stuck her neck out to see off the former by half a length, earning quotes of 8-1 and 12-1 for the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot from Coral and Stan James respectively.

Georgina Bell, wife of winning trainer Michael, said: "Hopefully we can get our hats on and head to Royal Ascot now. The Super Sprint had been mentioned, but Michael said if she won we'd go to the Queen Mary. Hayley gave her a beautiful ride."

The jockey added: "I rode her last time at Thirsk and it was slow ground that day and she hung through the closing stages. But better ground helped her and she didn't hang at all."