Although he never won above Group Three level in Britain he was a highly successful international campaigner, competing in seven different countries and winning major races in Canada, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates.
In the following year he was slow to find his best form but thrived when sent to race in East Asia and won the Hong Kong Vase in December.
He began his fourth season by winning the Dubai Sheema Classic and finished second in the Singapore Airlines International Cup, but the rest of his career was disrupted by illness and injury.
Phoenix Reach is a bay horse standing 16.0 hands high with a white blaze[2] bred in the United Kingdom by Christine Kiernan.
He was from the second crop of foals sired by the Cartier Champion Two-year-old Colt Alhaarth, whose other progeny have included the 2000 Guineas winner Haafhd.
Ridden by Jimmy Fortune, he took the lead a quarter of a mile from the finish but was caught in the final strides and beaten a head by Norse Dancer.
At the end of the month the colt was moved up in class to contest the Group Three Gordon Stakes over one and a half miles at Goodwood Racecourse and started at odds of 12/1 in a ten-runner field.
With Holland again in the saddle he started alongside High Accolade at odds of 8/1, making him the joint-fourth favourite behind Brian Boru, Westmoreland Road and the unbeaten filly Moments of Joy.
After tracking the leaders he attempted to make a forward run in the straight but never looked likely to win and finished third behind Brian Boru and High Accolade, beaten two and three quarter lengths by the winner.
Phoenix Reach was matched against older horses for the first time when he was sent to Toronto for the 66th edition of the Canadian International Stakes at Woodbine Racetrack and started 5.4/1 second favourite behind Brian Boru.
Dywer sent the colt (who was wearing blinkers for the first time) into the lead soon after the start and set the pace before being overtaken by Shoal Water after half a mile.
He overtook the leader Bowman Mill a furlong out and held off late challenges from Macaw and Brian Boru to win by three quarters of a length and a head.
After a break of more than four months, Phoenix Reach was sent to the Far East for two races, beginning with the Japan Cup at Tokyo Racecourse on 28 November for which he started a 46/1 outsider.
[12] For his first appearance of 2005, Phoenix Reach was sent to the United Arab Emirates for the Dubai Sheema Classic at Nad Al Sheba Racecourse on 26 March.
After racing in sixth place, Phoenix Reach moved forward in the straight and took the lead a furlong and a half out but was caught in the closing stages and beaten three quarters of a length by the Australian gelding Mummify.
[15] In July, Phoenix Reach returned to Europe for his second attempt at the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes run that year at Newbury.