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Raceday LIVE – Katalyst

Newbury, Tue 24 Jun 2025 18:15

Related horse(s):

Katalyst
The day has arrived for our two-year-old filly, Katalyst, to make her racecourse debut at Newbury in this evening's Class 4 Fillies' Restricted Novice Stakes (18:15).

Read our Raceday LIVE Preview below and join us ahead of the race for all the build-up and live updates from the track across our social channels on X (@CRCofficial) and Instagram (@coralofficial).

Raceday LIVE Preview

Katalyst joined the Coral Racing Club along with trainers William Muir and Chris Grassick at the end of April this year, with the two-year-old daughter of A'Ali initially being introduced as unnamed.

With that we soon launched our usual series of Name Your Horse competitions, and Coral Racing Club members voted for 'Katalyst' from a shortlist of five names. The lucky Coral Racing Club member who submitted the name was Laura, who'd only been a member since March this year, and she's due to attend Newbury this evening to enjoy part of her Ultimate Owner for the Day prize she won for being the member to submit the winning name.


Katalyst working on the gallops in Lambourn last month

Since joining the club, trainer Chris Grassick has been very patient with our two-year-old filly, giving her all the time she's needed to settle in at Linkslade Stables whilst also making sure she's been getting all the care and attention to continue progressing as she's built towards her first racecourse appearance.

Chris has kept us inundated with updates over the past couple of months via voice note and videos of her on the gallops, which has been fantastic, and he's been pleased with what she's shown so far in terms of ability and temperament.

WATCH: Raceday video message from trainer Chris Grassick
CRC

Today's Class 4 contest could be a competitive one, with trainers George Boughey and Eve Johnson Houghton both having eyecatching newcomers, and there being a total of 14 rivals for Katalyst to face up against. The race is over six furlongs, so it will be fast and furious from the start, which will mean it's important that Katalyst breaks well from the gates under jockey Connor Planas who's having his first ride in Coral Racing Club silks.

Connor has ridden Katalyst in plenty of her work at home, so we're delighted that Chris has given him the chance to ride her in her debut race. He had a breakthrough season in 2023 when he was challenging for the Apprentice Jockey Championship title, and since then has ridden many winners for various trainers.

Chris Dixon, Racing TV analyst, previews today's race and assesses Katalyst's chances on her debut

The Coral Racing Club’s new filly Katalyst heads to Newbury for her racecourse debut on Tuesday and I expect a winning start might be difficult enough. By the first season sire A’Ali, who has so far sired 4 individual winners, the best being three-time winner Ali Shuffle, Katalyst is out of a German middle distance winner who hasn’t produced anything of note from five previous foals. Trained by William Muir & Chris Grassick, she’s likely to be better for her initial experience given the stable record of 1/27 in the past two years with juvenile debutants and numerically finds herself with plenty to beat as she starts out in a 15 runner race. A Fillies’ Restricted Novice, the race is open to fillies in Band’s B, C and D so this race is unlikely to be as hot as some Newbury Novice races and as a Band C filly she receives 2lbs of weight from the Band B runners but has to give 2lbs to the two Band D fillies in the race.

Five of the runners have previous racecourse experience and Stardinia looks the pick on the evidence of her two runs to date, including a close second the the Coventry Stakes third Coppul on debut at Leicester. Sinj has also shown some ability with three placed efforts so far including when second to the Queen Mary runner-up Flowerhead at Chepstow. They look the pair to beat though a couple of the debutants also look of some interest. Nor Zamin is a half-sister to the 81-rated filly Persian Spirit who made a winning debut at this track, while Sukanya is related to several winners but her yard are yet to have a 2yo winner this season.

Trainer and Jockey Statistics

William Muir and Chris Grassick were in the winners enclosure yesterday at Wolverhampton after Respiro Solitario duly obliged as the 4/6 favourite. So far this year the pair have sent out five two-year-old runners, but none of them have been able to reach the frame. However, their strike-rate at Newbury in 2025 is 25% with them having one winner from just four runners.

Connor Planas has had a quiet year so far in the saddle, registering just four winners from 85 rides. Most of them have come for trainer David Loughnane, but he has been used six times by William and Chris more recently which has yielded in one win and two placed efforts which is ecnouraging.

Katalyst's Owners for the Day

The five Coral Racing Club members who submitted a name in our opening Name Your Horse competition which made it to the final shortlist of five have been given the chance to enjoy an exclusive owners experience for Katalyst's debut race today.

What's included in an Owner for the Day prize?

 

  • Free racecourse entry
  • Access to the Owners & Trainers enclosure
  • Access to the Parade Ring before the race
  • Meet Katalyst and the William Muir & Chris Grassick team
  • Take home a 20% share of any prize money she wins

Prize Money

Today's Class 4 contest is worth £12,000 in total, with the winner set to scoop £6,480 for their lucky owners.

2nd: £3,042 | 3rd: £1,521 | 4th: £760

Pipped At The Post – Exclusive for Members



Get paid as a WINNER in CASH up to a stake of £/€10 if your horse finishes 2nd by a head or less behind the winner in today's 18:15 at Newbury – click here to find out more.

     NEWBURY 18:15 – LATEST ODDS     

We hope you enjoyed reading today's Raceday LIVE Preview. Don't forget to tune in just before 18:15 to watch Katalyst's debut run for the club live on the Coral Sports app.
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