D'Amato's three graded turf stakes victories on same card a career first

DEL MAR, Calif. - Already well established among California’s leading trainers, Phil D’Amato reached a career first at Del Mar on Saturday.

D’Amato won three graded turf stakes on the same program, with Gold Phoenix in the Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap, Motorious in the Grade 3 Green Flash Handicap, and Conclude in the day’s final race, the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile.

“These are the days you work for, to get results like this,” he said after Conclude’s win at the end of the 11-race program.

D’Amato had previously won three stakes on the same day, April 29, 2023, with Alice Marble and Balnikhov at Golden Gate Fields, and Paris Secret at Santa Anita.

Saturday’s achievement occurred in a more high-profile setting, the richest day of racing of the Del Mar summer meeting. D’Amato-trained runners completed the exacta in two of those races, with Balnikhov second in the $300,500 Del Mar Handicap, and Almendares second in the $302,500 Del Mar Mile.

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Gold Phoenix won the Del Mar Handicap for a record third time, surpassing Spring House’s two wins in 2008-2009. The race has been run at 1 3/8 miles on turf since 1986, but dates to the track’s first season in 1937.

“That’s a pretty amazing feat,” D’Amato said of Gold Phoenix’s hat trick.

In the Del Mar Handicap, the 6-year-old Gold Phoenix was positioned behind the leaders on the inside on the turn under jockey Kyle Frey. When pacesetter Dicey Mo Chara drifted out, Frey urged Gold Phoenix to the front in the final strides.

“Kyle Frey never gave up,” D’Amato said. “He kept driving and the old guy put his head in front.”

Gold Phoenix earned a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar on Nov. 2. Gold Phoenix was 10th in the 2022 BC Turf at Keeneland and a much brighter fourth at Santa Anita last year.

Motorious won the $152,500 Green Flash Handicap for the second consecutive year in a similar style as his 2023 victory, closing with a wide rally to reach the front late. The win gave Motorious a fees-paid berth to the BC Turf Sprint on Nov. 2. Last November, Motorious was fifth in the BC Turf Sprint at Santa Anita.

On Saturday, D’Amato rated Motorious as having a better chance in this year’s BC Turf Sprint.

“I think this year at Del Mar will help him,” D’Amato said. “However good he is on any turf course, he’s especially good at Del Mar.”

Conclude is not certain to run in the BC Mile, but the win in the Del Mar Mile was his third stakes win in four starts on Del Mar’s turf course.

D’Amato described the BC Mile as “a possibility” for Conclude.

“We’ll have to see how he comes out of the race and how he trains,” D’Amato said. “He’ll need to take another step forward to compete against the horses from across the country and the European contingent.

“We know he likes this turf course and that’s a big factor.”

D’Amato, 48, has one Breeders’ Cup win in his career from 32 runners - Obviously in the 2016 Turf Sprint. As one of the leading trainers on the circuit, his runners represent some of the best chances for a California-based winner.

In the next six weeks, with more stakes to be run this weekend at Del Mar and at Santa Anita in late September and October, D’Amato will finalize his Breeders’ Cup team.

“We’ll get horses from across the country and horses from overseas,” he said of the competition. “It will be difficult.”

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