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 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, in front of a crowd estimated at 200,000 including the
Queen. 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. and becoming the fifth and last horse to win the Derby-Grand Prix double, following
Gladiateur,
Cremorne,
Spearmint and
My Love. ==Assessment==