Phoenix Of Spain brother set for racecourse debut on Monday

There is a gulf in achievement between full-brothers just one year apart. Phoenix Of Spain, last year’s Irish 2,000 Guineas winner, already has his first mares in foal from an opening session at the Irish National Stud before his younger sibling El Ray has even set foot on a racecourse.

This will be amended in the concluding event at Windsor on Monday, when the grey attempts to make it a perfect seven winners from as many runners for his rags-to-riches dam Lucky Clio in division two of the Follow At The Races On Twitter Novice Stakes.

Phoenix Of Spain is the stand-out achiever for Lucky Clio, a lowly-rated racemare who has made a spectacular turnaround in the paddocks. She has produced three other black type progeny for the late Cherry Faeste, including smart sprinter Lucky Beggar.

She was covered by Lope De Vega to produce her Guineas scorer, who was pinhooked and resold as a yearling for 220,000gns.

The same was attempted with El Ray, who was bought by Grove Stud for €110,000 as a foal but was taken out of both the Goffs Orby Yearling Sale and Arqana Breeze-Up Sale.

He has found his way to Kevin Ryan’s stable and Ryan Moore has been booked for a one-mile contest that appears to lack much strength in depth aside from Richard Hannon’s three-time runner-up Hot Summer.

Tally Ho Stud were the latest to have a bounteous pinhooking result from Lucky Clio, collecting her Awtaad foal for €58,000 and selling him on to Shadwell for some €400,000 at last October’s Goffs Orby.

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