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.^[1] 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.^[2]

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"^[3] 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.^[2]

Later in June he won the Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp, beating the Prix du Jockey Club winner Rapace,^[4] and becoming the fifth and last horse to win the Derby-Grand Prix double, following Gladiateur, Cremorne, Spearmint and My Love.^[2] On his final start, Phil Drake ran in Britain's most valuable race, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes 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.^[5]