Phoenix Of Dreams makes his long awaited debut for the Coral Racing Club this afternoon in the Maiden Stakes (16:55) over seven furlongs at Thirsk.

Read our Raceday LIVE Preview below and join us ahead of the race for all the build-up and live updates from the track with the team and Phoenix Of Dreams' lucky owners for the day across our social channels on X (@coral) and Instagram (@coralofficial).

Raceday LIVE Preview

Phoenix Of Dreams joined the club last June, after the team purchased him for 52,000 guineas at the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze Up Sales. He initially joined the club unnamed, which lead to us giving Coral Racing Club members the chance to name him through a series of competitions, and that is how he got his name Phoenix Of Dreams.

Watch the video below to see what John & Sean had to say about him after he arrived.


Following his arrival, the plan was to have the gelding make his debut late on in the summer of last year, but some minor setbacks during training postponed those plans and John & Sean made the decision to let him recover fully and begin his career at the end of the spring in his three-year-old season.

Phoenix Of Dreams' pedigree suggests that he would suit a trip of seven furlongs, as his sire, Phoenix Of Spain was a two time winner over that distance, including a victory in the Group 3 Acomb Stakes at York, before winning the Irish 2000 Guineas over a mile at the Curragh the following year.

Pre-Race Update from Sean Quinn

"We are all really looking forward to seeing Phoenix Of Dreams make his racecourse debut at Thirsk this weekend, and while I’m sure he’ll learn plenty from the experience, he’s fit and well enough to go there and do himself justice. He’s taken his training really well so far, and everything we’ve asked of him he’s taken in his stride, so he’s showing us all the right signs at home.

 

We think Thirsk is a good track to start him at as you need a bit of speed to go round that bend, and he certainly hasn’t looked short of pace at home. We could have even started him off over 6f to be honest, but we just felt this slightly longer trip might just help him get settled and learn the job, so I think we’ve absolutely found the right race to start him off in.

 

Jason Hart will take the ride, and I know he’s a jockey everybody involved with the Coral Racing Club knows well, so I’m sure he’ll take good care of him and make sure his first experience on the racecourse is a positive one. It looks quite a strong little race, so I’d say we go there in hope rather than expectation, but it is very much the first day at school for him, so we just hope he runs a nice race and learns plenty for the experience.

 

It feels like this has been a long time coming, but I’m glad we are now finally ready to get him on the track, and we really are looking forward to meeting the Coral Racing Club members at the track this weekend."

Owners for the Day and Prize Money

As winners of the Owner for the Day competition, 10 lucky Coral Racing Club members have been given the chance to enjoy an exclusive prize package for Phoenix Of Dreams' debut run at Bath this afternoon.

Each winner, along with a guest of their choosing, will receive free entry to Thirsk Racecourse, including exclusive access to Owners & Trainers areas. They'll have the opportunity to meet Phoenix Of Dreams and the Highfield Stables team, and even enter the parade ring before the race begins to be amongst all the other owners, trainers and jockeys. And last but by no means least, each winner will get to take home an equal 10% split of any prize money won by Phoenix Of Dreams.

Today's Class 5 contest is worth £8,000 in total, with the winner set to scoop £4,320 for their lucky owners.

2nd place: £2,028 | 3rd place: £1,014.40 | 4th place: £507.20

Trainer and jockey form

John & Sean Quinn have enjoyed a modest start to their first season since Sean joined the license in North Yorkshire. They've haD six winners from their thirty one runners (19% strike-rate). In the last fortnight they've had one winner, Highfield Viking over the same course and distance as Phoenix Of Dreams runs over today, and three placed finishes. 

Jason Hart has been far busier so far this term, with 34 winners from 231 rides (15% strike-rate), and has ridden four winners in the last two weeks, including onboard the previously mentioned Highfield Viking for the Quinns. Jason Hart also has great form when riding Coral Racing Club runners, having partnered Cast No Shadow to two second place finishes and a victory which came at Newcastle last month.

At The Races | VERDICT

NEVER SO BRAVE can count himself incredibly unfortunate to have bumped into a pair of subsequent Group 1 winners when second on his two starts last season. It is perhaps a slight concern that we haven't seen him since last July but, all being well, he is the one to beat. Swift Storm was a promising third on his debut at Newcastle in October and he appeals as a likely threat, while Ghaihaban and newcomer Phoenix Of Dreams are just two others to consider.

Today's opposition

• Never So Brave for Sir Michael Stoute looks to have the best form of the field, having finished three quarters of a length behind Vandeek last time out, who has since gone on to win the Group 2 Richmond Stakes at Goodwood, the Group 1 Prix Morny at Deauville and the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket. Saffie Osborne takes the reins for the first time today.

• Ghaihaban finished second in his first two starts last year, before reappearing last month with a solid third place finish at Doncaster. Andrew Balding sends her out again today, with Jason Watson riding her for the first time.

• Amo Racing are represented by Swift Storm in today's contest. In his only start last year he finished behind Venture Capital and Completed who have both gone on to win since. The colt makes his stable debut today for Dominic Ffrench Davis after moving from Alice Haynes' yard earlier this year. Silvestre De Sousa is in the hotseat today.

   16:55 THIRSK – LATEST BETTING HERE   

We hope you enjoyed reading today's Raceday LIVE Preview. Don't forget to tune in just before 16:55 to watch Phoenix Of Dreams make his debut for the club.