D'Amato approaching 1,000 wins
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As soon as this weekend, prominent California trainer Phil D’Amato may reach 1,000 career wins.
Through Wednesday, D’Amato has 998 wins in North America. He has one starter at Keeneland on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. At Santa Anita, D’Amato has four runners on Friday and three entered on Saturday. Entries for Sunday were taken on Thursday. D’Amato said he expects to have several starters on Sunday.
D’Amato, 48, has been one of the leading trainers in recent years at Del Mar and Santa Anita.
D’Amato had his first winner in 2010 and had a small number of runners through 2013 before taking over trainer Mike Mitchell’s stable in the spring of 2014. At the time, D’Amato had worked for Mitchell for a decade as an assistant. Mitchell left training because of health reasons and died in 2015.
D’Amato had a career-best year in 2022, winning 125 races from 612 starters who earned $11,954,300. Through Wednesday, D’Amato has won 89 races this year from 538 starters who have earned $8,567,884,
D’Amato said on Thursday that he is aware of the looming achievement.
“It sounds really nice,” he said. “It will be a nice milestone and we can look for 2,000.”
D’Amato spends most of his time in California. The Kentucky division is led by assistants Brad Platts and Glenn Brookfield.
Similar to many leading trainers, D’Amato plans a strong presence in the Breeders’ Cup races at Del Mar on Nov. 1-2.
D’Amato may have as many as eight runners – Che Evesora (Distaff), Gold Phoenix (Turf), Hang the Moon (Filly and Mare Turf), Iron Man Cal (Juvenile Turf), Motorious (Turf Sprint), One Magic Philly (Filly and Mare Sprint), Stronghold (Dirt Mile), Thought Process (Juvenile Fillies Turf).
D’Amato cautioned that Che Evesora, One Magic Philly, and Stronghold are not certain to start.
Stronghold, winner of the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby in April, is also under consideration for the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs at Santa Anita on Dec. 26. Stronghold, seventh in the Kentucky Derby in May, has been second in his last two starts – the Grade 3 Indiana Derby at Horseshoe Indianapolis in July, and the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing on Sept. 21.
“He’ll run in the Breeders’ Cup Mile or we’ll wait and give him a little freshening and run in the Malibu,” D’Amato said. “We’ll go one of those routes.”
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