ARCADIA, Calif. – Gold Phoenix, an 8-year-old gelding, is acting like a kid heading into his Saturday comeback at Santa Anita.
“He’s training like he’s a young 3-year-old,” trainer Phil D’Amato said. “He’s fresh and happy. Judging by his last couple drills, he’s all systems go.”
Gold Phoenix returns as the favorite in the Grade 3 San Marcos Stakes, a 1 1/4-mile turf race that will get easier after his main rival defects. Truly Quality, a multiple graded stakes winner, is likely to scratch to wait for the Grade 3 San Luis Rey Stakes on March 21.
That leaves the $100,000 San Marcos with eight runners, as Amplitude has scratched to run Sunday in an allowance. Others in the San Marcos are Mondego, Endlessly, Flashiest, and late runner Stay Hot. The outsiders are potential pacesetter Smooth Salute, Grogu, and Twirling Point.
Except for a problematic pace scenario – the San Marcos has no speed – the race is a showcase for the class of the field. Gold Phoenix’s eight stakes victories include four in the Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap. Saturday, he will try to join a list of 8-year-old San Marcos winners that includes The Tin Man (2006) and Sandpit (1997).
:: Santa Anita Classic Meet! Get DRF Past Performances, Clocker Reports, and more.
Gold Phoenix is racing for the first time since Nov. 1, when he finished fifth in in the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar. Afterward, he spent a month at his winter retreat.
“He went to Kingfisher Farms up in Santa Ynez for a month. He’s done that for the last couple of years, and it’s worked out really well,” D’Amato said.
D’Amato hopes the San Marcos sets Gold Phoenix up for a spring campaign that could include the Grade 1 Turf Classic on May 1 at Churchill Downs.
“Then come back, try to go for the Del Mar Handicap, and – who knows? – maybe we’re Breeders’ Cup-bound again,” the trainer said. “He’s just a big, solid, hearty horse, and we’ve spaced his races out really well, and we give him time off when he needs to. You factor all those things together, these kinds of horses, they can last for a long time.”
Gold Phoenix would not be the first D’Amato-trained 8-year-old to win a stakes race. Obviously was 8 when he won the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint in 2016,
Owned by a partnership that includes Agave Racing Stable, Little Red Feather Racing, Sterling Stables, and Marsha Naify, Gold Phoenix has won 10 races and $2,302,587 from 29 starts. His new rider Saturday is Kazushi Kimura, who’s replacing the sidelined Umberto Rispoli.
While the San Marcos is a race late runner Gold Phoenix figures to win, a murky pace scenario complicates matters. If the race unfolds slowly and the field bunches, it is not enough for Gold Phoenix to be the best horse. He also needs to get lucky.
Stay Hot, 6 for 19, is the likely second choice. Peter Eurton trains Stay Hot, runner-up twice last year behind Gold Phoenix and coming off a closing fourth as the favorite in the Grade 3 San Gabriel Stakes at Santa Anita. Juan Hernandez rides Stay Hot.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.