DEL MAR, Calif. - Through Sunday, trainer Phil D’Amato had amassed 72 career stakes wins at Del Mar, with seven of those accomplished by Gold Phoenix and Motorious, both stakes winners on Saturday.
D’Amato’s body of work through his career has put him in lofty company.
When Motorious won the Grade 3 Green Flash Handicap for turf sprinters for the third consecutive year on Saturday, D’Amato tied the late Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel for sixth on the track’s all-time list with 70 stakes wins.
When Gold Phoenix won the Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap for a record-breaking fourth consecutive year an hour later, D’Amato had his sixth stakes win of the summer meeting, and moved past Frankel. D’Amato had sole possession of sixth and was within three stakes wins of another late Hall of Famer in Charlie Whittingham, who won 74 stakes at Del Mar.
D’Amato recorded a seventh stakes win of the summer meeting with The Padre in Sunday’s Grade 2 Del Mar Derby.
Del Mar has changed considerably since Whittingham and Frankel had stables here. In their careers, Del Mar ran six days a week and only during late summer. The autumn meeting began in 2014, and has helped a turf-oriented trainer such as D’Amato thrive.
“I remember when we ran six days a week,” D’Amato said on Sunday. “I was a tired assistant for Mike Mitchell.”
D’Amato took over Mitchell’s stable in spring 2014.
Gold Phoenix becomes the first Southern California-based horse to win a stakes four consecutive years. He surpasses at least two runners with mighty accomplishments as three-time winners.
Native Diver finished third in the 1964 Hollywood Gold Cup and then won the race three consecutive years from 1965 to 1967. John Henry won three runnings of the Hollywood Turf Handicap in 1980-1981 and 1984.
Gary Fenton, the managing partner of the Little Red Feather Racing partnership that co-owns Gold Phoenix, noted on Sunday morning that Gold Phoenix joins at least three other notable runners in history as four-time winners of a major stakes.
Kelso won five consecutive runnings of the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Aqueduct and Belmont Park from 1960-64. Forego won four consecutive runnings of the Grade 1 Woodward Stakes at Belmont Park from 1974 to 1977. Exterminator won four straight runnings of the Saratoga Cup from 1919 to 1922.
Gold Phoenix, co-owned by Agave Racing, Sterling Stables, and Marsha Naify, has won 9 of 27 starts and earned $2,032,587. Saturday’s $302,000 Del Mar Handicap was his seventh career stakes win.
Ridden by Flavien Prat, Gold Phoenix closed from fifth in a field of nine to win by a neck over Stay Hot as the 2-1 favorite. Gold Phoenix withstood sustained pressure through the stretch.
“When they came to him, he surged again,” D’Amato said.
With the victory, Gold Phoenix earned a fees-paid berth to the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar on Nov. 1.
Gold Phoenix was 10th in the 2022 BC Turf at Keeneland, and fourth the last two years in the BC Turf at Santa Anita and Del Mar. In the 2024 running, Gold Phoenix had the best finish of an American-based horse, earning $250,000.
“If he hits the board for the prize money we’re racing at we’ll be happy,” D’Amato said.
The winner’s share on Saturday was $180,000. Gold Phoenix is unlikely to race again until the BC Turf.
“We know he likes the turf course and he runs well fresh,” D’Amato said.
Motorious, owned by Tony Fanticola, finished second by a nose in the $153,500 Green Flash Handicap, but was promoted to first after race winner Reef Runner was ruled to have caused interference shortly after the start.
Motorious was fifth by 1 1/2 lengths in the 2023 BC Turf Sprint at Santa Anita, and was second by a neck last year at Del Mar. In those years, he did not race between the Green Flash and the BC Turf Sprint. The same schedule is likely this year.
“We’ll hope to keep him fit and happy,” D’Amato said.
D’Amato’s stable did have setbacks in stakes on Saturday. Almendares and King of Gosford finished second and last of six in the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile behind 7-5 favorite Formidable Man. Almendares was beaten 1 1/2 lengths. King of Gosford was never a factor.
On Sunday, D’Amato said that King of Gosford sustained two significant cuts on a hind leg that he believed were the result of contact with a rival on the first turn.
“It was swollen today, which is to be expected,” D’Amato said. “He jogged sound.”
The Del Mar summer meeting ends on Sept. 7. D’Amato could move closer to Whittingham on the all-time stakes list next weekend. He plans to have as many as four runners in Saturday’s Grade 2 John C. Mabee Stakes for fillies and mares on turf, and runners in two $100,000 turf races for 2-year-olds at a mile – Saturday’s Juvenile Fillies Turf and Sunday’s Grade 3 Juvenile Turf.
In a previous version of this article, it was incorrectly stated that Kelso's five Jockey Club Gold Cup victories were at Belmont Park. Only one of those wins, in 1962, came at Belmont; the others were all at Aqueduct.
Also, it was incorrectly stated that Exterminator won four consecutive editions of the Saratoga Cup from 2019 to 2022. The correct years were 1919 to 1922.
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