Gold Phoenix has first stakes win in Del Mar Handicap, earns BC Turf spot

DEL MAR, Calif. - Gold Phoenix arrived from Ireland last winter with a hefty reputation, and then proceeded to lose his first two starts as the favorite in allowance races at Santa Anita last winter.

By the spring, Gold Phoenix was an allowance race winner and was third in the Grade 2 Charles Whittingham Stakes in April. With summer drawing to a close in a few weeks, Gold Phoenix’s original hype has turned out to be accurate.

In Saturday’s Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap, Gold Phoenix rallied from 10th under jockey Flavien Prat to win the first stakes of his career and earn a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Keeneland on Nov. 5.

Prat, who won four of the 11 races at Del Mar on Saturday, including three graded stakes, had Gold Phoenix on the rail on the backstretch before moving to the outside for the final three furlongs.

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As the field neared the stretch, Prat had a top-class target in 2-1 favorite Master Piece, who was in front of Gold Phoenix with a quarter-mile remaining.

“I had a chance to follow” Master Piece, Prat said. “I thought it was the right horse to follow. I knew Master Piece was pretty tough.”

Sixth with a furlong remaining, Gold Phoenix continued his wide rally to finish a head in front of Master Piece.

Prat won for the first time aboard Gold Phoenix in the Del Mar Handicap. He was second aboard Gold Phoenix in the gelding’s first two starts.

“I finally got him to give his run,” Prat said.

Gold Phoenix ($9.60) ran 1 3/8 miles in 2:14.51, earning a 98 Beyer Speed Figure.

The victory gave trainer Phil D’Amato a remarkable seventh win in the last nine runnings of the Del Mar Handicap, the track’s top turf marathon of the summer meeting.

Master Piece, who looked like a winner in the final furlong, finished a half-length in front of Dicey Mo Chara, a 12-1 chance who rallied on the rail.

Dicey Mo Chara has finished second or third in three turf stakes this year.

“He switches off so nice in his races, distance doesn’t matter,” trainer Leonard Powell said.

Tizamagician, who set an early pace of 25.69 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 50 for a half-mile, faded to finish fourth, followed by Masteroffoxhounds, Gregdar, Tango Tango Tango, Heywoods Beach, Red King, Tesoro and Order and Law.

Gold Phoenix races for the Little Red Feather Racing partnership and Sterling Stable. By the Lope de Vega stallion Belardo, Gold Phoenix has won 3 of 8 starts and earned $311,257. Earlier at the current Del Mar meeting, Gold Phoenix finished a troubled third in an allowance race at 1 1/8 miles on turf.

Prat had a remarkable final 40 minutes of Del Mar’s 11-race card. He rode Flightline to a win by an incredible 19 1/4 lengths in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic on dirt. With Gold Phoenix, Prat had to earn his win.