Easter to head straight to Kilroe Mile

ARCADIA, Calif. – Easter, the impressive winner of three turf stakes in Southern California in his final three starts of 2023, will have a delayed 2024 debut in the Grade 1 Frank Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita on March 2.

Trainer Phil D’Amato said over the weekend that he would prefer to start Easter’s season in the $300,000 Kilroe on turf instead of the Grade 3 Thunder Road Stakes at a mile on turf on Feb. 3. The long-range goal is the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Del Mar on Nov. 2.

“We want to win the Breeders’ Cup Mile,” D’Amato said. “We’ll pick our spots and focus on the big races in California and try to have him ready for November.”

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Owned by Madaket Stable, Easter won his California debut in the restricted Lure Stakes at a mile in October, his final start for trainer Graham Motion. For D’Amato, Easter won two Grade 2 turf stakes to end the year – the $201,500 Seabiscuit Handicap at 1 1/16 miles at Del Mar on Nov. 25, and the $200,500 San Gabriel Stakes at 1 1/8 miles at Santa Anita on Dec. 26.

In all three wins, Easter closed from off the pace to lead in the final sixteenth.

Hong Kong Harry, a four-time stakes winner on turf for D’Amato in the last two years, is currently being rested for a campaign beginning in late spring, D’Amato said. Hong Kong Harry was second in the Seabiscuit Handicap in his last start.

“He’ll have a second-half-of-the-year campaign,” D’Amato said. “We made a mistake and started too early” last year.

Hong Kong Harry had his first start of 2023 in the Kilroe Mile, finishing fourth as the even-money favorite. Last fall, Hong Kong Harry won the Grade 2 City of Hope Mile at Santa Anita before the Seabiscuit Handicap.

D’Amato said that three of his 2023 stakes winners – Beer Can Man, Gold Phoenix, and Motorious – are in training for comebacks in the spring. Motorious and Beer Can Man were fifth and seventh in the BC Turf Sprint at Santa Anita in November, while Gold Phoenix was fourth in the BC Turf the same day.

The D’Amato-trained Honey Pants won Sunday’s Grade 3 Las Cienegas Stakes for fillies and mares at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course. D’Amato said Honey Pants is likely to remain in turf sprints. The graded race for the division is the Grade 3 Monrovia Stakes on the hillside course on April 6.

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