Exciting Irish Guineas hope Phoenix Of Spain the rising star in high-class team

A pair of Group 2 wins for Battaash and the Group 3 Acomb Stakes success of the exciting Phoenix Of Spain put a nice gloss on 2018 for Charlie Hills and the team at Faringdon Place, but there were a few near misses that would have turned a satisfactory season into a golden one had they gone the other way.

"Last season was a bit frustrating," says Hills, now in his ninth year at the helm. "We hit the crossbar a fair bit with the likes of Battaash, who did us proud but couldn't quite land his Group 1, and Phoenix Of Spain, who wasn't far behind Too Darn Hot in the Champagne Stakes and was maybe a shade unlucky when he was pipped by the Guineas winner [Magna Grecia] in the Futurity, but they remain very good horses for this season, things have started off well and I'm pleased with the way the horses are running.

"We got off the mark with our two-year-olds when Silver Start won at Bath this month, and although we're a bit behind with most of our youngsters because of the weather, I'd say we have some decent ones coming through and I'd be very happy with both the quality and quantity."