Phil Drake (1952–1964) was a French

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorse and

sire Sire is an archaic respectful form of address to reigning kings in Europe. In French and other languages it is less archaic and relatively more current. In Belgium, the king is addressed as "Sire..." in both Dutch and French. The words "sire" a ...

. In a brief racing career which lasted from May to July 1955, Phil Drake ran five times and won three races, becoming the fifth and last horse to win both The Derby and the

Grand Prix de Paris The Grand Prix de Paris is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it ...

Background

Phil Drake, a brown horse with a white stripe was bred in France by his owner Mme Leon "Suzy" Volterra. His sire Admiral Drake was a top class racehorse who won the

in 1934. Phil Drake's dam, Philippa, was a successful racehorse who also produced the

Prix Morny The Prix Morny is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 1,200 metres (about 6 furlongs), and it is scheduled to ...

winner Bozet. Phil Drake was trained by

François Mathet François Mathet ( at Vesoul – at Neuvy-le-Barrois) trained racehorses, specialising in flat racing. In France he is well-remembered for being one of the best equestrian trainers in the country's history. Early life Mathet was the ...

Chantilly Chantilly may refer to: Places France *Chantilly, Oise, a city located in the Oise department **US Chantilly, a football club *Château de Chantilly, a historic château located in the town of Chantilly United States * Chantilly, Missou ...

Racing career

1955: three-year-old season

Phil Drake was a slow maturing colt who did not race as a two-year-old. He made his first racecourse appearance in the spring of 1955 when he ran second in the Prix Juigné, finishing strongly and narrowly failing to catch his stable companion Datour. The colt developed respiratory problems after the race and his connections considered "scratching" him (withdrawing his entry) from the Derby. In May, however, he won the three-year-old division of the

Prix La Rochette The Prix La Rochette is a Group 3 flat horse race in France open to two-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,400 metres (about 7 furlongs), and it is scheduled to take pla ...

at Longchamp in impressive style to establish himself as a Derby contender. Before the news of his victory reached England some "astute punters" backed him for the Derby at odds of up to 50/1. In the Derby, he started at 100/8 in a field of twenty-three and was ridden by

Freddie Palmer Freddie Palmer was a French-based jockey who won Classic races in England, Ireland and France. He was born on 15 December 1921 and became "a huge name" in flat racing in the 1950s. He won his first major race in 1950 - the Eclipse Stakes on F ...

, in front of a crowd estimated at 200,000 including the

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

. Phil Drake was held up by Palmer in the early stages and was not in the first fifteen at half way. In the straight he produced a sustained run to move through the field, but was still only sixth entering the final furlong as the 100/1 Irish colt Panaslipper went clear. In the closing stages Phil Drake was switched to the inside and produced a "tremendous finishing burst" to overtake Panaslipper and win going away by one and a half lengths, with the 11/4 favourite, Acropolis a further three lengths back in third. Later in June he won the Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp, beating the

Prix du Jockey Club The Prix du Jockey Club, sometimes referred to as the French Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Chantilly over a ...

winner Rapace, and becoming the fifth and last horse to win the Derby-Grand Prix double, following

Gladiateur Gladiateur (1862–1876) was a French Thoroughbred racehorse who won the English Triple Crown in 1865. Gladiateur is called a legend by France Galop and "One of the best horses ever to grace the turf in any century" by the National Sporting Li ...

, Cremorne,

Spearmint Spearmint, also known as garden mint, common mint, lamb mint and mackerel mint, is a species of mint, ''Mentha spicata'' (, native to Europe and southern temperate Asia, extending from Ireland in the west to southern China in the east. It is nat ...

and My Love. On his final start, Phil Drake ran in Britain's most valuable race, the

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot o ...

at Ascot for which he started 8/11 favourite. After making a brief effort in the straight he faded to finish sixth of the ten runners behind Vimy.,

Assessment

In their book ''A Century of Champions'', John Randall and Tony Morris rated Phil Drake an "average" Derby winner.Randall, J and Morris, T. Portway Press, 1999, p. 205

Timeform Timeform is a sports data and content provider located in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1948, it provides systematic information on form to punters and others involved in the horse racing industry. The company was purchased by ...

rated Phil Drake on a mark of 132. A rating of 130 is considered the mark of an above average European Group One winner.

Stud career

The best of Phil Drake's offspring was Dicta Drake, who won the

Coronation Cup The Coronation Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards (2, ...

and the

Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud The Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Saint-Cloud over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it is sc ...

Pedigree

References

External links

Newsreel of 1955 Derby
{{Epsom Derby Winners 1952 racehorse births 1964 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in France Racehorses trained in France Epsom Derby winners Thoroughbred family 8-i