WATCH: Phoenix Of Dreams delights Sean Quinn with promising debut at Thirsk | Raceday Highlights

23 Apr 2024
Phoenix Of Dreams
It may have been a long time waiting, but on Saturday, Phoenix Of Dreams finally got to make his Coral Racing Club debut for trainers John & Sean Quinn.

Phoenix Of Dreams joined the club last summer, but due to a couple of set backs, the Quinn team wanted to give him plenty of time to recover and mature with their eyes set on his three-year-old campaign.

The Class 5 Maiden Stakes at Thirsk on Saturday was headed by Never So Brave for Sir Michael Stoute, who's form as a two-year-old couldn't have looked much better despite not winning either of his two racecourse starts last year. Firstly, he was second to Ancient Wisdom (subsequent Group 1 winner and now rated 117) on debut, and then he finished runner-up again to Vandeek, who ended last season as the third highest rated two-year-old in training for the Simon & Ed Crisford team.

As the race commenced, Phoenix Of Dreams jumped well from gates and settled in mid division under Jason Hart. The aforementioned Never So Brave was prominent throughout, and as they both turned for home, there was only a few lengths between the pair. As they continued down the home straight at Thirsk, Phoenix Of Dreams stayed on very well with the leading trio and the group pulled well clear of the rest of the field.

The final result saw Never So Brave win comfortably, with Phoenix Of Dreams finishing six lengths behind in fourth place which saw him scoop his lucky 10 Owners for the Day £507 to split equally between them all.

Watch our latest Raceday Highlights to catch all the action, including a post-race interview with jockey Jason Hart.

Post-race review from trainer Sean Quinn:

"I’ve got to say, I was delighted with how Phoenix Of Dreams ran on Saturday. I thought it was a debut full of promise, and I don’t think there’s any doubt that the winner looked a very good horse.

He probably surprised us a little bit in truth, because although we thought he’d show he had ability, we did think he’d need the experience, but I actually thought coming into the final furlong that he was going to keep on into second. He did just get a touch tired close home which is understandable, but there was definitely plenty to build on from that run.

I know Jason (Hart) was really happy with him too, and he felt he really appreciated the underfoot conditions, so that’s certainly something to bear in mind going forward. He’s come out of the race sound and well which is really great to see, but I don’t think we’ll look to rush him back to the track. When a horse makes their debut on slightly softer ground, it is sometimes worth just giving them a few weeks to recover before asking them to go again.

We’ll keep everybody updated with his plans, but I suspect we’ll just give him a quiet week or so now, and we’ll look to get him back on the track in about 3-4 weeks’ time."
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