Coral Island to make debut at Kempton

Tom Hanrahan | 22.09.2015

Coral Island steps out in the Coral Champions Club silks for the first time today with connections optimistic of a good show on debut in the 6f juvenile maiden at Kempton (6:10). After a successful winter with jump horses Template and Bon Chic, the Coral Champions Club took the plunge and purchased a Flat horse for the first time having previously leased runners.

Charged with finding a suitable individual for the Coral Champions Club were training duo Olly and Hetta Stevens along with bloodstock agent Ed Sackville, the man responsible for many of the purchases at former footballer Michael Owen’s stable in Cheshire. The sale they selected was the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze Up sale in May and the horse that caught their eye was a two-year-old chestnut filly by Equiano, a leading sprinter who twice won the King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Purchased for 22,000gns, Coral Island was an instant hit back at the Stevens’s Robins Farm stables with her attitude to training and life winning her many admirers. Coral Island was given time to get over her experience at the sales and began her training, steadily building up to the day when she could strut her stuff on the racecourse. And that day is today.

Taking on 11 rivals, Coral Island is partnered by top jockey Jim Crowley on the all-weather at Kempton and will come out of stall ten, which should allow her time to get settled into the race and find a position that she is comfortable in.

Hetta Stevens says: “Coral Island has been training very well at home and we feel it is time she made her racecourse debut.

“She has shown us plenty of speed on the gallops and the aim of this race is for her to have a good first experience over six furlongs. We’re fond of her and all the team at Robins Farm are excited to see what she can do.”

Coral Island will be taking on some horses who already have racecourse experience and are likely to be more streetwise than her. However, there are reasons to be hopeful she can put up a good performance on her first start. Joining Coral Island on her first day at the races will be six Coral Champions Club members, who will enjoy an evening in the Panoramic Restaurant at Kempton before the race. If everything goes to plan, they will be enjoying plenty of champagne in the bar afterwards too!

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