Emma Banks, music agent to Kylie Minogue and Katy Perry, hoping her diva racehorse Lady Bowthorpe can win big at Newbury

TOP music agent Emma Banks has dealt with her fair share of divas over the years.

And her Lockinge Stakes contender Lady Bowthorpe might be the biggest prima donna of the lot!

Banks is agent to some of the world’s biggest popstarsHer horse Lady Bowthorpe chases Lockinge Glory at Newbury on Saturday

Super agent Banks represents megastars Kylie Minogue, Katy Perry and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, to name a few.

With dozens of worldwide tours and billions of record sales between them, her famous clients can be hard to handle.

The same can be said of her flying filly, who is both trained and kept in check by family friend William Jarvis.

“If you’re hugely talented, you’re often not the easiest to deal with, be it equine or human,” Banks said.

Banks’ client Kylie Minogue is worth an estimated £60 million

Florence and the Machine, who headlined Glastonbury in ?, are also on Banks’ books

“Good horses like Lady Bowthorpe come with more, let’s say, psychology attached to them. Which is possibly true of some of my clients as well!

“She has her own ideas, she can be difficult and quirky – but William and his team have managed her brilliantly.”

Banks’ purple, orange and green silks are still a relatively new sight on racecourses.

Lady Bowthorpe, a 20-1 shot for today’s Lockinge, provided her with her biggest win as an owner in the Group 2 Dahlia Stakes earlier this month.

It was a dream come true after a tough year, with Banks’ business having suffered during the pandemic.

There have been virtually no gigs or festivals for 14 MONTHS as Covid-19 hit the music scene hard.

But horse racing has kept her occupied – and she revealed she has become more hands-on as an owner.

“The last year has been tough and I haven’t been busy for obvious reasons – so I have probably irritated William more than usual!” she joked.

“We have been busy planning for things reopening in the coming weeks and months, so I haven’t quite been sitting around all day watching TV and looking through the form book. 

“But racing has been a great escape for me. Even when I haven’t been able to go and watch my horses I’ve been watching on TV and it gives me so much pleasure.

“There are definitely some similarities between racing and the music industry. 

“What I do for a job is plot and plan a music artist’s career, and what William does, with me butting in occasionally, is plot and plan a horse’s career.

“I like to get involved and we share ideas with one and other, but William is honest and will tell me if what I’m saying is rubbish!”

She continued: “Racing is a very real business. Like the music world, to the public looking in from the outside it appears very glamorous.

“But behind the scenes it is much grubbier, it’s hard graft. 

“Horses are mean, sleek racing machines when they get to the track, but a lot of the time they’re covered in mud or they’ve rolled in their own s****!

“When you have to get up at 5 o’clock every morning looking after their every need you have to be very real and very devoted. I admire that.”

Banks was caught on camera celebrating wildly when Lady Bowthorpe, named after her mum, won the Dahlia at Newmarket.

If she win can win the £350k Group 1 Al Shaqab Lockinge, the scenes in the paddock might be more reminiscent of a mosh pit at Glasto!

She said: “I’m feeling excited and incredibly sick at the same time!

“Who wouldn’t feel nervous? It’s a massive race. You have got to be in it to win it, and while she is a longshot she isn’t out of it.

“There is nowhere else in the world I would rather be than Newbury on Saturday.

“I love horses and I have for a long time. If they’re talented and can win a race, or even if they run a personal best, that is a huge win from my perspective. 

“In my job, a huge win isn’t necessarily having an artist headline Glastonbury or have a gig at Wembley stadium. 

“It’s doing the best you can at the stage you’re at in your career. Sometimes selling out a 200 capacity venue is as important as selling out Wembley arena. It’s all relative.

“So when I am still pretty new to racing and you get a horse like Lady B, who has a personality but has so much talent and can take us to races like this, it’s very special.”

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