Conducted, Gold Phoenix to wait for Santa Anita
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DEL MAR, Calif. – The recent turf stakes winners Conducted and Gold Phoenix will miss stakes opportunities at Del Mar and Los Alamitos in the coming days and weeks in favor of races at the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting.
Conducted won the $201,500 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Stakes at a mile on turf on Oct. 31 at Del Mar and is likely to have his next start in the $100,000 Eddie Logan Stakes at a mile on turf for 2-year-olds on Dec. 28 at Santa Anita.
Trainer O.J. Jauregui said the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity on dirt on Dec. 13 was considered for Conducted, who is owned by Mike and Julia Iavarone, Dan Eplin, and Arthur Spencer.
“I’m leaning more to the Eddie Logan,” Jauregui said. “I’ll give him another race on the turf and try to go forward. I’m taking it step by step. He’s still very immature. I’m trying to give him a little more time.”
Jauregui said he may consider a dirt stakes in early 2026 at Santa Anita for Conducted, who has won 2 of 4 starts. The TAA Stakes was Conducted’s first stakes win.
Gold Phoenix, who won two Grade 2 turf stakes in the Del Mar Handicap and John Henry Turf Championship in August and September, finished fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf on Nov. 1 at Del Mar, the highest placing of an American-based runner. Gold Phoenix was recently sent to Kingfisher Farm in Solvang, Calif., for a brief rest, trainer Phil D’Amato said.
“We’ll give him a little two-week break,” D’Amato said.
Gold Phoenix would have been a contender in Friday’s Grade 2 Hollywood Turf Cup at Del Mar. A 7-year-old gelding, Gold Phoenix has won 10 of 29 starts and earned $2,302,587.
Owned by the partnership of Little Red Feather Racing, Marsha Naify, Agave Racing, and Sterling Stables, Gold Phoenix will be pointed to the Grade 3 San Marcos Stakes at 1 1/4 miles on turf on Feb. 14 at Santa Anita, D’Amato said.
D’Amato plans to run Balnikhov in the $200,000 Hollywood Turf Cup at 1 1/2 miles. The Hollywood Turf Cup drew a field of nine, including 2024 winner Truly Quality, who was fourth by a half-length behind Gold Phoenix in the Del Mar Handicap in his last start.
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